Longtime Coming- Pokémon- Amourshipping
by Idon'tusespacesinusernames
Summary: This is a sequel-story! That's just a heads-up. If you haven't already, go and read 'Longtime friends.' Anyway, this story is about Ash and Serena's journey through Kalos. Alone, by the way. No-one else. There may be the occasional other character appearing for a chapter or two, but that will be it. Overall, it's Ash and Serena's Kalos journey. Nothing more, nothing less.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! Here it is! The start of the sequel to 'Longtime friends.' Now, I'm just going to go over two things. First of all, thank you for the incredible reviews! It really inspires me to write more when I read your reviews saying that you enjoy my stories. Now, the second thing: this story might be decently long. I'm not entirely sure, but, as you can see with the description, this story is going to be an entire journey through Kalos and, of course, that's going to include those fill-in chapters that consist of sole plot or Ash and Serena flirting with each other, or even just training. So, that's all I have to say. Now, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

"Pikachu! Use Iron Tail!" Ash exclaimed, pointing at the rock in front of them both.

Pikachu ran forwards before hopping into the air, somersaulting as his tail changed from the usual yellow and brown to pure white, slamming it down into the metre-wide rock, chopping it smoothly in half.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, joyful with his achievement.

"Well done, Buddy," Ash said, walking over to Pikachu and patting him on the head, earning a light coo from the Pokémon.

It had been thirty days since both Ash and Pikachu left Kalos, also thirty days after Ash confessed to Serena, too. The two of them had decided that they were going to make sure that they would win the Kalos league when it came to it, training for half the day while spending the other half either helping Delia, Ash's mother, or relaxing.

"Shall we head back to Professor Oak's lab?" Ash asked Pikachu, who nodded, hopping back onto Ash's shoulder before he ran over to Oak's lab.

"Hello, Ash, Pikachu," Oak greeted as Ash sped through the door, closing it behind him.

"Hey, Professor!" Ash responded.

"Pika!"

"So," Oak started. "What brings you here?"

"I would like to see my Pokémon again before Pikachu and I head back to Kalos," Ash explained, to which Oak nodded.

"Of course, Ash, my boy! Follow me!"

Ash followed Oak, Pikachu clinging onto Ash's shoulder as they walked. Oak proceeded to open a door into the room which contained all the Pokémon kept at the lab.

Walking over to a section marked with Ash's name, Oak slid all of the Pokéballs into a bag, handing it to Ash. "There you go," he said. "Take them outside and do what you want."

Ash thanked the old man, turning and leaving the lab, stopping just outside and heading around the back to a big field. Ash released all the Pokémon in the bag when he reached there, greeting each Pokémon with a smile as they announced their names, Pikachu greeting them too.

"So," Ash started. "As always, I'm going to get you all to battle against each other. Pikachu and I will be heading back to Kalos tomorrow, so today is the last time we're going to be doing this for some time."

Ash's Pokémon let out a cry each, telling Ash that they understood.

* * *

Pikachu ran into Delia's house, Ash slowly following behind him.

"Hello, you two!" Delia greeted them as they entered the house.

"Hey, look, 'Ma, I made it!" Ash said, flopping down onto the couch.

"Yes, you did! For once, you're back in time for dinner."

Ash laughed, knowing that his mother wasn't joking. He was frequently late arriving home due to his training with Pikachu and, occasionally, his other Pokémon, just like that day.

"So," Ash started. "What is for dinner?"

"Burgers," Delia said, bringing out two plates, one for her and the other for Ash.

"Looks great," Ash said, complimenting her.

"I hope they taste great too."

Ash took a bite into his burger, happy with the taste. "Tastes great, Mum."

Delia nodded, unable to say thank you as he mouth was filled with the juicy burger.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, asking where his dinner was.

"I'll get you something in a minute," Ash told him, already half-way through his burger.

Pikachu nodded, understanding that Ash would be finished with his dinner in under a minute.

"You eat way too fast, Ash," Delia told him, giggling a little as she watched him push the last fifth of it into his mouth at once.

"And?" He asked after he swallowed it, wondering what the problem was.

"Doesn't it hurt your throat? You know, when it all gets stuck?" Delia asked, confusing Ash more.

"Doesn't have any effect on me," Ash said, picking up his plate and letting Pikachu jump onto his shoulder, heading into the kitchen to place his plate in the sink and to get Pikachu his food.

* * *

Two hours later, Ash was upstairs alone. Pikachu had decided to stay downstairs with Delia to watch T.V. They were both emerged in a drama, neither of them wondering who Ash was talking to upstairs.

"Yeah, Serena. I've got everything packed, don't worry!"

Serena sighed. "Ash, I can't see you, but for some reason, I don't believe you."

"I'll just have to send you a picture of my full bag, then," Ash said into his phone, hearing Serena giggle on the other end.

"It's okay, I do believe you. You may be daft, but not so daft that you'd put off doing something so important!" Serena exclaimed, almost deafening Ash through the phone.

"O-Okay, no need to shout," Ash muttered, his left hand on his left ear with a pained expression on his face.

"Sorry, Ashy," Serena said on the other end, giggling a little again. Sighing, Serena smiled before she decided to make Ash feel loved after that unpleasant experience. "I can't wait until you get here tomorrow!"

"It's a long flight, Serena. It's not like it's going to take an hour," Ash told her, to which she pouted despite Ash not being able to see.

"I know," Serena said. "How are we going to do it?"

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, confused as to what she meant.

"When you get here, I mean. Are we going to stay in a hotel and leave the next morning, or are we going straight away?" Serena questioned, eager to say something else, but holding herself back.

"I don't know," Ash said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to see your village at some point, so we could do that? I know that there's a town close by Vaniville, so we could stay in a hotel there?"

"Aquacorde is a small town, so I don't know if there's a hotel there, let alone a decent one," Serena said. "But if you want to see Vaniville, why don't you stay at my house?"

"What do you mean?" Ash asked her, not getting a response for a few moments, confusing him more.

"Mum said that would be okay," Serena told him, indirectly informing Ash as to why she went silent.

"Okay, shall we do that?" Ash asked, to which Serena nodded.

"If you bring a Pokémon that can fly, we can go from Lumiose back to Vaniville on that?" Serena suggested.

"You could stay in Vaniville," Ash told her, to which Serena shouted at him through the phone.

"But I won't get to see you for longer!" She screamed, destroying Ash's eardrums past repair.

"Okay, okay," Ash said in pain. "I'll meet you at the airport in the morning."

"Good," Serena said, satisfied with the result.

"Well, I should go. I'll take a shower then get an early night," Ash told Serena.

"Okay, Ash. Goodnight. I love you," Serena said, smiling to herself as she said it, still astounded at the fact that they were in a relationship.

"I love you too, Serena. Goodnight!"

And with that, Ash hung up, grabbing some clean underwear to put on before going to take a shower, returning a few minutes later to hop into bed and to go to sleep, sinking into the void of dreams in mere moments.

* * *

 **There we go! The first chapter! Obviously, this chapter wasn't going to contain some incredible circumstances or occurrences seeing as it is the first chapter. However, as we all know, the first chapter is always one of the most important. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys! I'm back with the next chapter for this story! See? I can spice these introduction parts up. And by "spicing it up," I mean changing it a little. Let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

The alarm rang through the room, snatching Ash away from his cosy and comfortable dream as he awoke, reaching out and slapping the off button on the alarm clock, begrudgingly sliding out of bed and heading for a shower.

As soon as Ash returned, he was fully clothed, seizing his bag before heading downstairs, making a quick bowl of cereal, sitting down at the table, beginning to eat it as Delia came down.

"Hey, Ash!" She greeted him, popping some bread into the toaster. "How are you?"

"I'm all right," Ash told her, to which she nodded. "You?"

"I'm okay, thank you, Ash," Delia said, grabbing a plate and taking out a pot of jam along with a table knife. "What time's your flight?"

"It's boarding in two hours," Ash told her, finishing off his cereal before standing up and placing the bowl in the sink.

"You better get going, then," Delia said, getting a little sad. "Viridian isn't that close."

"Mum," Ash started, pulling her into a hug. "I can tell you don't want me to go."

"Yeah," Delia said, pulling away from Ash and moving a bit of her hair behind her ear. "I've just enjoyed our time together for the past month."

"I have too," Ash replied, sighing. "But, I have to go, you know that, don't you?"

Delia nodded, taking her toast out of the toaster before she started to spread some jam on the hot bread. "Please, try and come back soon, though."

"I can't promise anything, Mum," Ash said to her, to which she let out a little sigh.

"Yeah, you can't. Sorry, I'm being silly."

Ash nodded a little. "I'll try and come back as quick as possible," Ash told her. "I might bring Serena, too, if she wants to come."

"That would be good," Delia said, pulling Ash into a hug. "I'm so happy that you're both together. I knew it would happen eventually."

Ash chuckled. "I didn't think it would ever happen."

"Well," Delia said. "It did, didn't it?"

Ash nodded a little before pulling away from his mother. "I love you, Ash," she told him.

"Love you, too," Ash replied, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "I should get going."

Delia nodded, watching as Ash smiled at her before turning and leaving the house, closing the door behind himself.

"Well, Pikachu," Ash said, looking at the yellow mouse. "Let's get to Viridian!"

* * *

Three hours later, Ash and Pikachu were on the plane, both of them as hyped as ever to start a new journey. Ash was a little more excited than Pikachu, as he would be travelling with his girlfriend.

For the entire plane ride, Ash thought about Serena. He thought about the first time they met at Oak's camp, he thought about the years they spent texting each other, and, most importantly, he thought about the time he spent with her at Sycamore's camp just a month prior.

As soon as the plane landed, Ash and Pikachu were some of the first to get off, quickly getting through security before emerging into Lumiose airport, spotting a familiar face waiting.

"Serena!" Ash shouted, hurrying over to her, watching as she looked up in both surprise and delight then stood up, running to meet Ash.

The two of them met in the middle in a hug, Pikachu hopping off Ash's shoulder just before they embraced.

"I've missed you so much!" Serena exclaimed, kissing Ash on the cheek and squeezing him tighter.

"I m-missed y-you, too, S-Serena," Ash stammered, only just managing to get the words out through the now small gap in his throat due to Serena's squeezing, something she picked up on and loosened her grip a little, apologising.

"I told you to text me when you landed! And you said you would!" Serena told Ash, to which he looked a little guilty, pulling away from Serena and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Honestly," Ash started. "I wanted to try and scare you."

"Why?" Serena asked, genuinely wondering why Ash had that idea.

"It would've been funny!" Ash told her, to which Serena shook her head.

"It would've been funny afterwards, but not when it would've happened," Serena said, pouting, causing Ash to smile a little at her cuteness.

"Come on, Serena," Ash said, gaining her attention. "Let's get to Vaniville."

"How?"

"We fly," Ash told her, confusing her a little.

"Do you have any flying-types with you?" Serena asked him, to which Ash shook his head.

"No, but I can get Professor Oak to send Charizard over via the PC," Ash explained, to which Serena nodded, agreeing with Ash's idea.

"Okay, let's go, then. There's a Pokémon centre a clock away," Serena told him, leading both Ash and Pikachu out of the airport and to the Pokémon centre.

"Hello, you two!" A voice rang out as Ash and Serena entered the Pokémon centre. "Would you like to heal your Pokémon?"

"No, thank you," Ash said, to which the Nurse Joy nodded. "I'm just here to use the Pokémon transport system."

"Very well," Nurse Joy said, heading out from behind the desk and into a room filled with the systems. "Take as long as you like."

And with that, Nurse Joy left, leaving Ash, Serena and Pikachu alone in the room, seeing as there was no-one else currently using the transport systems.

"So, how does it work?" Serena asked Ash, to which he smiled.

"It's really easy, actually," he said. "Seeing as a trainer is only legally allowed to have six Pokémon with them at once, you have to send one back if you have a full team. However, if you don't have a full team and you want to get a Pokémon of yours that are staying with the same Professor that gave you the Pokédex, you just request the Pokémon you want and it will materialize in its Pokéball in the slot."

"You said it's easy!" Serena exclaimed, confused, causing Ash to laugh.

"Pretty much, you can get one if you don't have a full team, but, if you do, you need to send one back as well."

"You could've just said that!" Serena exclaimed, rubbing her temples as she tried to process the information as Ash headed over to a machine and requested to obtain Charizard, to which Charizard's Pokéball materialized in the slot, just as Ash said it would.

"Well, here we go!" Ash said, attaching the Pokéball to his belt.

"What now?" Serena asked him, to which Ash gestured for her to follow him, leading her out of the Pokémon centre while explaining.

"We're going to fly to Vaniville and stay there tonight, then, in the morning, we'll fly back here and get you a starter Pokémon," Ash told her, to which she nodded, watching as Ash pulled out Charizard's Pokéball and releasing him.

Charizard let out a roar of his name when he materialized in front of Ash, letting out a weak flamethrower as well. "Hey, buddy!" Ash exclaimed.

"Char!"

"Can you fly us to Vaniville?" Ash asked Charizard, to which he tilted his head in confusion. "Right, you've never flown there before," Ash said, only just realising that. "Serena," Ash started, turning to face her. "Which way is Vaniville?"

"It's south of Lumiose," she replied.

"You can tell which way is North, right, Charizard?" Ash asked him, to which Charizard nodded. "Just fly in the opposite direction," Ash told him. "Serena, point out when you see Vaniville."

Serena nodded before Ash helped her onto Charizard's back after climbing up himself, commanding Charizard to fly, being slightly surprised when Serena didn't scream at the fact that they were high in the air.

* * *

 **There we go! The second chapter! I apologise that it took some time to make, I've recently filmed and edited all the videos for two entire months in advance, so I haven't had much time to write. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! I'm back with another chapter! I've had a reviewer request that I try to make slightly longer chapters with more dialogue, so, from now on, I will attempt to make these chapters between one-thousand and two-hundred words and one-thousand and five-hundred words. Anyway, without further or do, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

"There it is, Ash!" Serena exclaimed, carelessly pulling one hand away from Ash's waist to point at the little town so far below them.

"Do you see it, Charizard?" Ash asked his Pokémon, who shook his head, compelling Pikachu to hop off Ash's shoulder and onto Charizard's head, turning it in the direction of the village and pointing at it, effectively instructing Charizard on where to go.

Charizard, now aware of the destination, waited until Pikachu was safe on Ash's shoulder again before darting towards the cluster of buildings, propelling them all through the air at around sixty miles-per-hour.

"That clearing just outside the village should be enough space to land," Ash told his Pokémon, who nodded, heading for the grass patch before softly touching the ground, running a little to safely disperse the momentum.

Ash hopped off Charizard's back, followed by Serena which surprised Ash, seeing as she needed help to get onto the Pokémon, but, getting off is usually easier than getting on.

"Well done, Buddy," Ash said, rubbing Charizard's head, taking his bag off his back and reaching into it, pulling out an Oran Berry, feeding it to Charizard as a reward before returning him to his Pokéball.

"That was so fast!" Serena said, shocked as she looked at the time, seeing that it only took them half an hour to reach Vaniville.

"Well, flying is always the faster option," Ash said, laughing, to which Serena agreed.

"Let's head in, then," Serena said, grabbing Ash's hand before leading both him and Pikachu into the village, pointing out her house from a distance. "That's where I live," She told them, nodding in the direction of the house before running over, dragging Ash with her, Pikachu clinging onto Ash's shoulder for dear life.

As they passed through the front gate, Ash was surprised to see the Rhyhorn in the hut. "That's Mum's Pokémon," Serena explained. "He's the very same Rhyhorn that got her famous a while ago."

"Wow," Ash said, examining the Pokémon. "It looks healthy despite its age."

"It's twenty," Serena said, petting the Rhyhorn, who let out a satisfied cry of its name.

"Two years older than us," Ash muttered, still observing the Rhyhorn a little before noticing that Serena had headed over to the door, waiting for Ash, who followed her a few moments later.

"Get ready to see Mum after ten years," Serena said, pushing the door opening before calling out that she was back, keeping it a secret for a moment that she was with Ash.

"Hello, Sweetheart," Serena's mother, Grace replied, coming down the stairs to greet Serena before getting a little shock when she saw Ash also there, waiting for her. "My, my, Serena. How come you didn't tell me Ash was with you?"

Serena giggled a little before replying. "I wanted to see your face when you saw him, and it was priceless like I expected," she said, sticking her tongue out at her mother, who sighed.

"Well, Ash," she started, "It's nice to see you again! I'm sorry for Serena being immature."

Ash laughed at that. "It's all right," he told her. "I personally find it a little cute."

"Oh! Of course!" Grace exclaimed. "I forgot you two are dating!"

"Yeah, I told her," Serena told Ash, looking at him for a moment. "How could I keep it a secret?"

"I don't know, Serena. You are terrible at keeping secrets." Ash said, to which Serena pouted.

"Hey! That's a secret!"

"See?" Ash said. "You say it's a secret, but I and everyone else in the world know that you are terrible. You just proved my point."

Serena pouted a little when Grace and Pikachu laughed at Ash's statement, pushing the three of them into the lounge to sit down before going upstairs to the bathroom.

"She's still a mystery to me, honestly," Grace said, taking a seat, watching as Ash took one too opposite her.

"Even to me, and I've talked to her every day for the past ten years," Ash said, holding up his phone in case Grace didn't realise how.

"So, I take it both of you will be staying here tonight and leaving in the morning?" Grace asked Ash, who nodded.

"Yeah, if that's all right with you," he said, to which Grace shook her head, smiling.

"Of course it's fine. Honestly, I don't know why you're asking if it's all right. Anyone's welcome here at any time, but I guess Serena didn't tell you that?"

Ash shook his head as a response, wondering why Grace was so inviting. "You can sleep with Serena," Grace said, confusing Ash a little.

"You don't have a problem with that?"

"Of course not!" She replied. "Serena's told me how you two slept together almost every night at that camp, so you're used to it already."

Ash nodded as a response before Grace leaned forward. "Make sure you take good care of Serena, Ash. I don't want her getting hurt. And if anything like that Prism Tower incident happens again, and she's involved, I'm not going to be happy."

Ash nodded, slowly, a little intimidated by her, quickly turning to see Serena coming down the stairs, greeting her in a shaken voice.

"What's wrong?" She asked him, to which Ash glanced at Grace, who smiled back at him, watching as Ash told Serena that it was nothing, confusing her a little.

"I think lunch is ready!" Grace suddenly exclaimed, standing up before hurrying into the kitchen, setting the food out onto plates before taking them to the table as both Ash and Serena came in, taking a seat next to each other.

Three plates of lasagna were set down on the table and then greedily wolfed down.

"So," Serena started, looking between Ash and her mother. "What were you talking about before?"

Ash glanced at Grace, wondering who should talk before she piped up. "Nothing important, really."

"Oh," Serena said, even more interested. "That usually means that it's something incredibly important."

Ash shook his head at that. "No," he said. "It really wasn't anything important."

Serena sighed. "Okay, fine. What time is it?"

Ash thought for a second, pulling out his phone. "It's time for you to get a wat- No, no, I'm not making this joke."

Both Serena and Grace giggled a little before Grace asked him what the time actually was. "It's half-past-two."

"Wait," Serena said, gaining the attention of both Ash and her mother. "Ash, you said yesterday that the flight to Kalos isn't a short flight, but Kalos and Kanto are really close together, and the flight was an hour long. So, why did you say it was going to be long?"

Ash chuckled a little. "Because the time I spend without you feels like forever," he said, making Grace 'aww' at him and making Serena blush.

"How about we play a board game?" Grace suggested, breaking the silence that formed after the little flirting.

"Okay, sure."

* * *

Six hours later, the three of them had played a board game, eaten dinner, and, of course, socialised.

"I think we should go to bed now, Serena," Ash told her, pointing at the clock. "If we're going to get you a starter tomorrow, we're going to have to leave early, then we can get ou supplies."

Serena nodded at Ash's idea, both of them wishing Grace a good night before going upstairs to brush their teeth and go to bed.

"I'm tired," Serena told Ash as she pulled off her shirt when they arrived in her room.

"Yeah, me too," Ash said, also pulling off his shirt and his gloves.

"I've missed snuggling with you, Ashy," Serena said, jumping on top of Ash and pushing him onto the bed before either of them could even get their trousers off.

"I've missed it, too, Serena. But we need to finish getting undressed first," Ash told her, to which Serena pouted but nodded, getting off him so they could both finish stripping to their underwear.

"Okay, are you ready now?" Serena asked Ash, who nodded before Serena did the same thing as before, not bothering to get them under the covers. She just wanted to cuddle.

"You're so cute, you know?" Ash told her, making Serena blush profusely.

"I'm still not used to your flirting, Ashy," she told him, making him laugh a little. "Even though you've been doing it so much over the past month."

Ash smiled, kissing Serena on the forehead. "Come on, Honey. Let's go to sleep."

"But the light's still on," Serena said, starting to moan about having to get up before Ash pushed her off him and turned the light off, stopping her from moaning about it.

"Get under the covers," Ash instructed, to which Serena obliged with Ash following her.

"I love you, Ash," Serena muttered, resting her head on Ash's chest.

"I love you, too, Serena," Ash said, closing his eyes.

* * *

 **There we go! The third chapter has been completed! I'm obviously going to attempt to make every chapter around the same length as this one from now on, so I hope you all like the new length. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys! I'm back again for another chapter! If you haven't read the bold text that's in the last episode of this story, then you won't know that I'm attempting to add more detail to the chapters and to make them around three-hundred-words longer. Now, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

Ash woke up to feel Serena's hot breath against his face. Opening his eyes, he found that Serena had managed to move in her sleep so she was a little further up the bed than she was before, her forehead on the top of Ash's, breathing directly into his face.

"S-Serena," Ash stammered, chuckling lightly when he heard the confusion in her voice when she asked what he wanted. "Could you get off me? We need to get up."

Serena sighed, unwilling to get out of bed. "Can we stay in bed for five more minutes?"

"No," Ash said sternly, pushing Serena off him, much to her disdain.

"Please?" Serena asked, elongating the "e" at the end in an attempt to make Ash give in, but he shook his head, making Serena a little stroppy.

"You can stay here for now," Ash told her, getting up from the bed. "I'm going for a shower."

"Could I come with you?" Serena asked jokingly, which Ash picked up on, laughing.

"Sure," he said, making Serena giggle a little. "No, it's best we don't shower together... For now, I mean."

Serena giggled again, jumping off the bed and grabbing Ash, pulling him into a deep kiss, which he returned happily.

"Okay," Serena said, pulling away. "I'm going to stay in bed for longer."

"No!" Ash exclaimed, grabbing her arm in an attempt to stop her desire for sleep. "You're out of bed now, so stay up. If you get back in, you will stay there. You'll have a hard time getting back up."

Serena nodded, realising that Ash was correct. "Okay," she said, giving him another quick peck on the lips. "Wait, where's Pikachu?"

Ash pointed out of the window, watching as Serena looked out to see Pikachu playing with the Rhyhorn.

"When did he go out there?" Serena asked.

"Last night, before we went to bed," Ash told her to which Serena nodded.

"I didn't notice," Serena said, laughing.

"I'll be back in five minutes," Ash told her, opening the door and heading out of Serena's room before turning around abruptly. "Don't you dare get back in bed!"

Serena giggled once more. "I promise I won't!"

"Good," Ash said, heading over to the bathroom for a shower, saying hello to Grace on his way past her bedroom, which earned him a quick greeting by Grace who hurried out of her room to stop Ash.

"I want to tell you something, Ash," Grace said, placing her hand on Ash's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked, confused as to why she was so sudden with the need to talk.

"I just need to let you know that I've had a phone call from Delia asking if I could give you some money that she's sent over. She's sent it to my bank account. It was exactly one-hundred, so I'm just going to give it to you now in cash," Grace told him, heading back into her room to grab her purse, pulling out the money and giving it to him.

Ash was a little taken aback by this. If his mother wanted to give him money for the journey, why didn't she give it to him when he was staying with her for the month? "Are you sure?" Ash asked her, to which Grace looked confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked him.

"Mum would've given me the money when I was with her for a month. So I'm starting to think that you're trying to give me money," Ash explained, noticing Grace smile a little before stuttering.

"N-No," she said. "Your mother sent me the money through the post!"

"You just said she sent it to your bank account and that this," Ash said, waving the money. "Is the same amount in cash."

Grace sighed. "Okay," she said, putting her hand on Ash's shoulder again. "I wanted to give you some money for the journey. Just in case you need it."

"It's okay, Grace," Ash said, pulling Grace's hand off his shoulder and turning her hand over, opening the palm and placing the money in it. "Keep it."

Grace shook her head, attempting to give the money back to Ash, but he refused. "I don't need it, honestly. I've earned a decent amount over my past journeys, enough to sustain both Serena and me over the journey."

Grace smiled at him, placing the money on her bedside table before grabbing Ash and pulling him into a tight hug. "You're too kind, Ash. Honestly, Serena is lucky to have you," she told him, making Ash blush a little before she continued. "If you weren't so much younger than me and if you weren't Serena's boyfriend, I'd try to be with you."

Ash pulled away for a second, watching as Grace smiled at him awkwardly before a few tears welled up in her eyes. I'm so lonely without Serena's father. The way he died was so unfair for everyone!" Grace pulled Ash closer to her, tears rolling down her face and into the crook of Ash's neck.

"I'm so sorry that happened," Ash told her, squeezing her for a second, making her smile a little.

"It's okay, Ash. You couldn't control any of that. Maybe it was fate?" She suggested, pulling away from Ash before pecking him on the cheek. "Go for a shower, you muscular boy," she told him, making Ash remember that he was shirtless as he had slept like that the night before.

Ash chuckled a little, smiling at Grace before turning and heading into the bathroom to shower, hearing Grace walk over to Serena's room as he closed the door.

* * *

"What the hell was that about?!" Serena exclaimed at her mother as she came into the room. Throughout the time Ash and Grace were talking, Serena was listening while getting dressed.

"What do you mean, Honey?" Grace asked her daughter, genuinely confused as to why Serena was so distraught.

"You were flirting with my boyfriend!" Serena shouted, flopping back onto her bed, pouting.

"I wasn't flirting with him, Serena," Grace told her, laughing a little. "I wanted to give him some money, but he figured out my trick. Then I complimented him a little."

"A little?!" Serena exclaimed, getting a little frustrated. "You said that you'd date him if you were a similar age!"

"Okay, maybe that was true, but I said it because I got carried away," Grace explained, laughing a little when she watched Serena put her hands over her face and groan.

"Look!" Serena said, throwing herself off the bed. "I know that you're lonely and all that, but Ash is my boyfriend, okay?"

"I know," Grace said, sighing. "I just wanted to make sure he feels comfortable around me."

"Let's just hope you don't make him feel too comfortable..."

Grace pulled Serena into a hug, a little sad at the fact that Serena was being so restrictive of her own mother even telling Ash that he's a good boyfriend.

"I-I'm going to get breakfast, Mum," Serena muttered, pulling away from Grace, grabbing her bag and heading downstairs, only taking her bag in order to leave it with her shoes.

Sighing, Grace headed out of Serena's room. She was about to go into her room when Ash came out of the bathroom fully dressed. Grace turned around, seeing Ash give her a quick smile when she turned to look at him. Solemnly, she turned around and headed into her room, closing the door, not saying a word to Ash.

A little confused, Ash headed over to Serena's room, quickly packing up the little things he had taken out the night before. Then, Ash proceeded to take his bag downstairs, placing it on the floor next to Serena's before heading into the kitchen to see that Serena had made them both some breakfast.

"What's up with your mother?" Ash asked Serena, taking a seat at the table, watching as she poured some orange juice into two glasses.

"What do you mean?" Serena asked, placing both glasses on the table.

"She seems a little upset," Ash explained, telling Serena what just happened.

"I don't know," Serena said nonchalantly, hiding the truth due to the fact that she was a little afraid about what Ash's response would be.

Ash shrugged, starting to eat along with Serena. They made some small talk for the five or so minutes they sat there, mainly saying a little about what they did throughout the past month.

When they had both finished, Ash decided to wash the dishes, having to convince Serena to go and talk to her mother.

"Are you okay?" Serena asked as she entered the living room, turning to the stairs when she heard her mother coming down.

"I'm fine, Serena," Grace said, smiling. "Why?"

"Ash told me that you seemed upset. Is that because of what I said?" Serena asked, to which Grace shook her head.

"No, but hugging Ash felt like it did to hug your father," Grace told her daughter, to which Serena nodded, understanding.

"I'm going to get some breakfast," Grace said, heading into the kitchen. "Ash? Why are you washing up?"

"I want to be helpful. You did let me stay here, after all," Ash told her, to which Grace smiled.

"See, Serena?" Grace asked. "He's too kind, isn't he?"

Serena nodded, giggling a little.

Ash finished washing the dishes, telling Grace that both he and Serena should get going.

"Already?" She asked them, a little sad when she saw them both nod. "All right, then," she said, hugging them both.

"I'll inform you of what happens, Mum," Serena told her, holding up her phone, to which her mother nodded.

"Take care of Serena, Ash," Grace told him, watching as Ash nodded.

"I will don't worry!"

Both Ash and Serena slipped on their shoes and grabbed their bags, leaving the house hand in hand, Pikachu running out of Rhyhorn's hut and hopping onto Ash's shoulder as they walked past.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! I attempted to add more details in, so I hope that was decent. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! A few of you were commenting on a section of the last chapter, which is where Serena's mother, Grace, gets a little close to Ash. I had her explain that the reason why is because she's lonely after the death of her husband, therefore, she loses control and starts flirting with her daughter's boyfriend. The only reason why I'm explaining this here is that it's possible that some of you may have missed that fact and got confused; I didn't make the explanation as simple as that, after all. Anyway, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

Ash and Serena, along with Pikachu, made their way out of Vaniville. The cool breeze blowing through their hair as they stepped onto route one.

"This is nice," Serena said, making Ash look at her.

"What?" Ash asked, a little confused by the sudden statement.

"The breeze, the independence, the feeling of adventure," Serena told him, to which Ash nodded.

"That's how I felt when I started my journey."

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed.

"Yes, with you, Pikachu," Ash said, laughing a little.

The three of them had been over the route they were going to take throughout the month they were apart. They had decided that to start with they were going to go to Aquacorde and purchase more supplies, then to Santalune where they would rest, presumably on the second day.

As they were walking down the somewhat small route, able to see the town a kilometre away, Serena received a text.

Pulling out her phone, Serena read the text which was from her friend Shauna, telling them to meet her at Aquacorde.

"Ash, we're meeting my friend at Aquacorde, apparently," Serena told him, showing him the text.

"Okay," Ash said slowly, a little confused but willing to go along with it. "We're not too far away. It might take about thirty minutes before we get there?"

"Thirst minutes?!" Serena exclaimed, shocked. "But it's about a kilometre away! Surely it won't take that long!"

Ash nodded. "At the speed that you're walking, it might take longer," Ash said, chuckling a little when he watched Serena pout a little, only just realising how slow she was walking.

"Fine! Let's speed up!"

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the two of them had reached Aquacorde.

"Okay," Ash started, turning to Serena as they both stopped walking for a little break. "Should we meet your friend first if they're here, or should we get supplies first?" Ash asked her, to which Serena replied with the first option.

Serena sent a text to Shauna, asking where to meet her, to which she told them to meet her at a nearby café.

"What was the name of this café again?" Ash asked Serena.

"Colossal Earthquake."

"Why?" Ash asked, confused.

"I have no idea," Serena told him.

They were both sitting at a table outside of Colossal Earthquake, sipping on coffeé while waiting.

"Hey!" A voice rang out from not too far away, which was followed by some quick footsteps which stopped next to Ash and Serena's table.

"Hi, Shauna!" Serena exclaimed, standing up and giving Shauna a quick hug.

"I won't do that," Ash said. "First of all, we don't know each other, and second, that's not how I greet people other than Serena."

Shauna giggled a little while Serena sighed. "Honestly," Shauna said. "You're not a total stranger. Serena's shown me a load of texts and talked about you a lot, so I know what you're like."

"Yeah, stupid," Serena said, to which Ash pretended to be hurt by her words.

"So," Ash started. "I'm gathering that you didn't text Serena because you wanted to meet up and catch up. Do you have something important to tell us?" Ash asked, to which Shauna nodded.

"Yeah, well, something to give both of you, actually," Shauna told them, reaching into her bag and pulling out three Pokéballs. "These are the Kalos starters," Shauna told them, surprising them both a little.

"I thought we were getting them from Sycamore," Serena said, to which Shauna nodded.

"That was the original plan, but he had to go out for something which will take a day or two, so he asked me if I could bring them to you," Shauna explained, to which Ash looked confused.

"And you just happened to be there?" He asked, to which Serena shook her head, answering for her friend.

"She has a part-time job as Sycamore's assistant. She got it a little bit of time after the camp finished," Serena explained, to which Ash nodded, understanding.

"Okay," Shauna said, releasing the Pokémon contained in the Pokéballs which were a Chespin, Froakie, and Fennekin. "Both of you can choose one."

"Both of us?" Ash asked, confused.

"Yeah, both of you," Shauna said. "The professor thinks it would be a good idea for you both to have one."

Ash nodded slowly, observing the three Pokémon on the floor. "Serena, you choose first. This will be your first Pokémon, after all."

Serena looked over the three Pokémon, smiling at each of them in a way to prove that she's practically harmless.

"Can you go over their types and evolutions, Shauna?" Serena asked her friend after trying to make up her mind and failing.

"Sure," she said before listing them off. "Froakie, the blue frog, is Water-type and it's fully evolved form is Greninja, a ninja-like Pokémon. Chespin, the green and brown creature, is Grass-type and it's fully evolved form is Chestnaught, practically a giant version of Chespin. Finally, Fennekin, the orange fox, is Fire-type and it's fully evolved form is Delphox, a tall mage-like Pokémon."

Serena observed the starters a little more before deciding on Fennekin, petting it lightly before picking it up and stroking it, earning a little purr from the Pokémon. "I choose Fennekin."

Pikachu cooed when he saw Serena do that to Fennekin. He hopped off Ash's shoulder and onto Serena's lap, asking for her to do the same, which she did much to his delight.

"Good choice, Serena," Ash said, leaning over her and stroking the Pokémon a little.

"Here you go, Serena," Shauna said, holding out Fennekin's Pokéball for her to take.

Serena took the ball from Shauna's hand and returned the Pokémon, smiling as she saw it dissolve into the ball. "I have my first Pokémon!" She squealed, to which Ash congratulated her. "Is it officially mine?"

Shauna shook her head. "No, but it will be soon. First, let's let Ash choose his."

Ash didn't need to look at the Pokémon. "I choose Froakie," he said, not taking a second to consider.

"That was fast," Serena commented, to which Ash nodded.

"I thought about who would be the best suited for me while you were choosing," Ash explained, picking Froakie up off the ground, petting it.

"Fair enough," Shauna said, handing Ash the Pokémon's Pokéball, watching as Ash returned the little monster.

"Pokédexes, now, right?" Ash asked Shauna, to which she nodded.

"You have one already, Ash, so I'll update it for you," Shauna said as Ash handed his Pokédex over. He had been through this exact process four times previously, with the first being the time he got the same Pokédex with only the Kanto Pokémon available to register.

As Shauna updated Ash's Pokédex, she handed Serena her new one, watching Serena observe it while she waited for the code to be copied into Ash's.

When it was done, Shauna handed Ash his updated Pokédex and handed both Ash and Serena five empty Pokéballs to get them started before explaining to Serena what the purpose of the Pokédex was and why they had been given one. Not too long later, after bidding them farewell, Shauna left with Chespin, heading back to Lumiose and leaving Ash and Serena alone with their new Pokémon.

"What should we do now?" Serena asked Ash, quickly finishing off her rapidly cooling coffeé.

"We should get some supplies and start making our way to Santalune," Ash told her, standing up before leading her over to multiple shops. The two of them purchased potions, more Pokéballs, bigger bags and, finally camping equipment such as sleeping bags, tents and Ash even bought a flint and steel to light the fires they were going to use to cook.

* * *

"So," Ash started as they walked out of the last shop, throwing his new bag on his bag before handing his old one to a random homeless man as a gift, receiving a little praise but paying no notice. "What time is it?"

Serena looked at her phone, announcing that it was half-past three, which shocked Ash a little, making Serena giggle. "We were talking to Shauna for a while, and we were shopping for a while, Ash," Serena told him, to which he shrugged.

"Let's just get on the road to Santalune," Ash said, nonchalantly, to which both he and Serena made their way to the next route.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! If you don't know, I decided to make the path Ash and Serena will take exactly the same as the games. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! A few of you were asking if I could make these chapters even longer, and my answer to that is the same as every other request: I will try my best to comply with your wishes. The usual length for each chapter was one thousand and five-hundred words; now it's going to be one thousand and eight-hundred. If that's still a little short, I'll bump it up to two thousand, but I may have to leave it like that for a while, as anything over two thousand words will take a while to write; maybe even meaning that I can't post at least once a week like I currently am doing. Anyway, that's all I have to say, so let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

Ash and Serena made their way through the start of the route, both more excited than ever to see grass. "This is incredible!" Serena exclaimed, catching Ash's attention.

"I know, it's how I felt when I started my journey," he told her before spotting something. "Serena!" Ash exclaimed in a hushed whisper, pointing through an opening between a few trees before hurrying over to the trees. He crouched down behind them, encouraging Serena to do the same after she followed.

"What?" Serena asked, also in a hushed whisper.

"I saw a Zigzagoon," Ash told her, to which Serena nodded.

"I don't know what to do, though, Ash," Serena said, to which Ash went on to explain.

"Send out your Pokémon and try and get a surprise hit on it," Ash explained, to which Serena sent out Fennekin.

"Don't you want to do this? You did see it, after all." Serena asked him, to which Ash shook his head.

"No, I have two Pokémon already," Ash told her, pointing at both Pikachu and Froakie's Pokéball, making Serena nod, understanding his point.

Serena looked at Fennekin, getting a little confused about something, which was evident by the look on her face. "What's up?"

"I don't know what moves Fennekin has," Serena told Ash, to which he chuckled.

"Scan it with your Pokédex. It will give you a description of Fennekin and tell you it's gender, it's moves, things like that.

Serena nodded, pulling out her Pokédex, scanning Fennekin.

"Fennekin, the Fox Pokémon," Serena's Pokédex started. "Eating a twig fills it with energy, and its roomy ears give vent to air hotter than 390 degrees Fahrenheit."

"That was the description," Ash told Serena, who nodded before the Pokédex continued.

"This Fennekin is female and its moves are Scratch, Tail Whip and Ember. This Fennekin's ability is Blaze."

Serena nodded when the Pokédex finished, now knowing to do that with each Pokémon she would own.

"I should do that with Froakie, too," Ash said nonchalantly, sending out Froakie and pulling out his Pokédex, scanning it.

"Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokémon. It secretes flexible bubbles from its chest and back. The bubbles reduce the damage it would otherwise take when attacked," the Pokédex said. It paused for a second, signalling that the description was complete before it continued. "This Froakie is male and its moves are Growl, Pound and Bubble. This Froakie's ability is Torrent."

Ash nodded, smiling at Froakie who smiled back before returning it to its Pokéball.

"Right, should go and attack the Zigzagoon now?" Serena asked Ash, to which he nodded.

"I'd recommend having Fennekin use Scratch, then run back and use Ember from a distance," Ash told Serena, to which she nodded. "Stand up whenever you're ready. Try and peek around the tree and see if it has its back to you."

Serena stood up, a little nervous. She put her back to the tree and leant to the side, taking a quick glance into the opening. She saw that the Zigzagoon had its back turned to them, eating grass. "Go on, Fennekin. Use Scratch," Serena commanded in a hushed whisper.

Fennekin nodded before running up behind the Zigzagoon, jumping into the air and raising one paw which was shining bright white.

Fennekin's paw made contact with Zigzagoon's back, sending it flying forward a little before the Pokémon span around, using Growl.

"Run back here, Fennekin!" Serena exclaimed, getting a little panicked.

Fennekin started running back to Serena, getting hit with Growl, causing her Attack stat to get lowered.

"Turn around and use Ember!" Serena exclaimed, watching as Fennekin jumped in the air, spinning around and firing a small ball of fire at the Zigzagoon, making it stagger a little.

"Throw a Pokéball now," Ash told Serena calmly, watching Serena grab an empty Pokéball from her pocket and lob it at the injured Pokémon. The Pokéball fell a little short but rolled and made contact with the Pokémon.

Zigzagoon turned to red energy, being sucked into the Pokéball. The ball shook three times before stopping, three stars exploding from the top of the Pokéball, meaning that Serena had successfully caught the Pokémon.

"Yay!" Serena exclaimed, jumping in the air a little before rushing forward, grabbing the ball off the ground and holding it up for Ash to see, who was making his way over.

"Well done, Serena," Ash said before getting down on one knee next to Fennekin, petting it. "You too, Fennekin," Ash said, chuckling as Fennekin smiled and licked his hand before rushing over to Serena.

"What do I do now?" Serena asked Ash.

"Send it out and use a potion to heal it. Then scan it with your Pokédex to register it."

Serena nodded, sending the Zigzagoon out before taking off her bag and fishing out one of the potions before kneeling down next to the injured Pokémon.

"It's okay," Serena said comfortingly, petting it a little before lightly spraying the liquid onto the Pokémon, to which Zigzagoon's scratches and bruises miraculously healed.

Serena pulled out her Pokédex, scanning the Pokémon to which the Pokédex piped up. "Zigzagoon, the Tiny Racoon Pokémon. It walks in zigzag fashion. It's good at finding items in the grass and even in the ground. This Zigzagoon is male. Its moves are Growl and Tackle. Its ability is Pickup."

Serena smiled at the Zigzagoon, stroking it before returning it to its Pokéball. "What now?" She asked Ash.

"Well, it's about five now, so I suggest we stay here, set up camp, train a little and get to sleep early," Ash suggested, to which Serena nodded, agreeing with the idea.

"Here? As in right here?" Serena asked, to which Ash nodded.

"These trees should block the wind from us," Ash said, sliding his bag off and placing it on the floor, kneeling down and opening it. "This clearing is definitely big enough."

Serena nodded, pulling some of the cooking things out of her bag. Seeing as they were together, they would be sleeping in the same tent, same sleeping bag even. And seeing as Serena didn't normally carry a lot of things, they had decided that Ash would carry the things related to the tent along with his recourses while Serena would carry the lighter items.

Ash pulled out the tent and set it up while Serena grabbed some dry sticks, taking the flint and steel and lighting a fire on the sticks. She then proceeded to put some water in a pot, placing it on the fire, throwing some noodles in when the water started to boil.

* * *

"I'm done," Ash told Serena emerging from the tent after putting the sleeping bag in there. It had taken them an hour to set everything up.

"I'm nearly done with the food," Serena told Ash, who smiled, a little excited.

"I'll get the Pokémon's food done, then," Ash said, grabbing the Pokémon food out of Serena's bag along with the bowls.

Ash released all of his Pokémon along with Serena's before putting some food in four bowls. They had bought twelve already, just in case they both ended up with a full team before they would reach Santalune.

The Pokémon started eating while Serena placed the noodles into two bowls, handing one to Ash along with a fork.

"Bon appétit," she said jokingly, making Ash laugh a little before kissing her on the cheek quickly.

"Thanks, Honey," Ash said before he started to eat along with Serena.

* * *

An hour and a half later, both Ash and Serena had finished eating and had relaxed for an hour or so. The two of them had decided that were about to start training.

"So," Serena started, catching Ash's attention. "What's the best way to do this?"

"Have your Pokémon attack rocks, trees, or each other," Ash told her, to which Serena looked even more confused.

"What?" She asked.

"What you need to do is have your Pokémon battle each other or attack non-moving objects."

Serena nodded, understanding before commanding Fennekin and Zigzagoon to follow her, Ash also telling Pikachu and Froakie to follow.

The two of them, along with their Pokémon, headed out of the clearing and into the open, spotting a few areas they could use.

"Oh, yeah, Serena!" Ash exclaimed, getting her attention.

"What's up?" She asked.

"It's best if we train with our Pokémon," Ash told her, to which Serena raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"While our both of our Pokémon are training, it's best if we exercise too," Ash told her, to which Serena gained a shocked look on her face. "What's wrong?" Ash asked her, noticing the uneasiness.

"I-I don't want you to see me all sweaty!" Serena exclaimed, getting quite uneasy for no good reason what so ever.

"Serena, we're together. We're in a relationship and of age. I'll see you hot and sweaty at some point," Ash told her, winking, making her giggle a little.

"True," Serena said, smiling before pushing Ash lightly. "I'll go and change into more suitable clothing," she told him. "No peeking!"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Ash told her, causing Serena to raise her eyebrow. "Okay, maybe I'll dream of it. Nothing else, I promise!"

Serena giggled again before grabbing her bag, heading towards the tent to change before Ash said something else.

"Why would it matter, anyway? We've slept together. I've seen you in your underwear before now," Ash said, to which Serena shrugged.

"It's been a month, so I'm not used to this," she said before heading into the tent.

* * *

Two and a half hours later, Ash and Serena, along with their Pokémon, had finished training for the night. All of them were sweaty and out of breath. Their Pokémon had risen levels, too! Serena's Zigzagoon had learned Tail Whip, but that was it. The other Pokémon had practised their moves and such.

Now being exhausted, Ash and Serena had decided to retire to bed for the night.

"What time is it?" Ash asked Serena, who checked her phone.

"Exactly nine," Serena said, yawning, making Ash yawn too.

The two of them clambered into the tent, stripping off their dampened clothes and disregarding them; letting them fall to the floor.

They both slid into the sleeping bag, Serena kissing Ash on the cheek before resting her head on his chest. "Goodnight, Ash," she said. "I love you."

"Night, Serena. I love you too."

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! I actually wrote this whole chapter in one day, the same day it's being released. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! I'm writing this not too long after the last update was posted! Not that there's any reason for you to know that. Anyway, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

Serena woke up. The first thing she saw was Ash's face. Despite falling asleep on his chest, she had managed to slide up his body so that her face was resting on the front of his shoulder.

Serena noticed that Ash was still asleep. Not wanting to awaken him yet, she decided to check her phone, noticing that it was seven AM. That was unusual for Serena. She would never normally get up, let alone wake up that early. It would normally be about nine or ten AM with the absence of an annoying alarm to ruin the sweet, cosy clutches of sleep.

Slightly bored, Serena opened a game on her phone, making sure to mute the sound so that she wouldn't awaken Ash. Through the immersive gameplay, Serena felt Ash stir a little. Did he normally wake up at this ridiculous time?

Sure enough, Ash woke up, greeting her with a kiss on the forehead. "Morning, beautiful," he said.

"Morning," Serena replied, putting her phone down before resting her head on Ash's chest.

"We have to get up," Ash told her, chuckling when she groaned at the thought.

"This is what I don't like about journeys!" She suddenly exclaimed.

"Having to get up?" Ash asked, to which Serena nodded slightly, making him chuckle again.

"Well, it's something we all have to live with," Ash told her. "Besides, if we don't get up, we won't be able to carry on with our journey," he said, elongating the last word, causing her to groan again.

"Shut up," She moaned, nuzzling her face into Ash's chest to try and make him give in, which he didn't.

"Come on, Serena," Ash said, pushing her off him before attempting to slide out of the sleeping bag. Serena, however, shook her head and grabbed his arm, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Five more minutes?" Serena asked, pleading.

Ash sighed. "Fine," he said, laying down again and letting Serena clamber back on top of him.

"Thank you, Sweetie," she said, giggling before giving him a quick peck on the lips, making him laugh a little.

"I'm not that easy to convince normally," Ash told her. "I just figured that it would make you really happy."

"It did!" She exclaimed, resting her head on Ash's chest once more.

"You're so cute, you know," he said nonchalantly.

Serena smiled, looking up at him for a second before winking. "There's more cuteness to me than you think, Ashy," she said, sticking her tongue out at him, making Ash smile a little.

"Shut up, Serena," he said while stroking her hair. "Just enjoy the next four minutes."

* * *

Not long after that, Ash and Serena got up. Serena still didn't want to but gave in. They both threw on their clothes and grabbed their things, quickly packing the tent away in Ash's bag.

"Ready?" Ash asked Serena, zipping up his bag.

"Yeah," Serena responded, putting her bag on.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, hopping onto Ash's shoulder.

"Pikachu, you might want to move," Ash said. "I have to put my bag on, and I don't think that you want a bit of fabric on your head for the rest of the day," Ash told Pikachu, making Serena giggle a bit.

Pikachu nodded, hopping off Ash's shoulder while he put on his bag before jumping back up when Ash was finished.

"Let's go, then," Ash said, leading Serena out of the clearing and into the open before they both started to walk towards the end of the route.

"What's the plan for today?" Serena asked Ash, grabbing onto his hand.

"I'm not sure. I guess we should continue down the route," Ash told her before continuing. "If we manage to make it quite far, we should get to Santalune Forest before the end of the day."

Serena nodded, happy with that estimate. "I would like that, Ashy. I want to stay asleep while the sun comes up."

"Is that what woke you up this morning?" Ash asked her, to which she shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe," she said. "It probably was, but we were surrounded by trees."

"There are gaps in between them, maybe a metre wide at most," Ash told her, looking back at the clearing while continuing to walk.

Serena shrugged again. "That was probably what happened," Serena muttered.

The two of them continued walking towards the forest when Ash caught sight of trainer sitting on the grass a few metres ahead of them.

Ash pointed the young boy out to Serena, and she urged Ash to go over and talk to the kid who looked a little uncomfortable.

Heading over there, Ash called out to the boy. "Are you all right?" He asked, making the boy look over at Ash and Serena.

The boy shook his head solemnly as a response.

"What's wrong?" Serena asked him, squatting down until she was at his level.

"My Pokémon's really hurt," the boy told them, pointing at a Rattata laying in front of him.

Kneeling down for a second, Ash began to analyse the Pokémon in front of him. "This Ratatta isn't hurt too badly, actually," Ash told the boy. "It has a couple bruises and a sprained ankle. Was it in a battle recently?"

The boy nodded as a response, a little scared as to what Ash's reaction would be, therefore, he was surprised when Ash laughed a little. "Take it to a Pokémon centre. There's one in Aquacorde. It might take an hour or two to get there, though."

The boy nodded a second time, about to return the Rattata to its Pokéball before Ash stopped him.

"Carry it. Returning an injured Pokémon to its Pokéball is an uncomfortable experience for said Pokémon. Spray it with a potion and return it or carry it."

"I don't have any potions," the boy said.

"We do!" Serena chirped, taking her bag off before fishing a potion out of it and handing it to the boy.

"T-Thanks," he said, stuttering a little as he was unsure as to whether or not he should take it.

He sprayed the Rattata with the potion, smiling when his Pokémon lifted its head to look at him, a substantially happier look present on its face.

"Thank you!" The boy exclaimed, jumping up from the ground before hugging both Ash and Serena.

"It's okay," Ash said, chuckling.

"It was our pleasure to help," Serena told the boy, patting him on the head lightly before the boy pulled away from them both.

"I'll take Rattata to the Pokémon centre right away!" He exclaimed, hurriedly scooping his Pokémon up into his arms before running in the direction of Aquacorde, giving Ash and Serena a nod as he left.

"He was so cute!" Serena blurted out to Ash as they started walking again, to which Ash nodded as a response.

"Yeah," he said nonchalantly. "What time is it?" He asked.

Serena pulled out her phone, checking the time. "It's eleven now," she told him.

"Okay, we should keep walking for an hour, then rest and have lunch?" Ash suggested, to which Serena nodded.

* * *

An hour or so later, both Ash and Serena had reached a massive, thick oak tree that stood roughly a mile away from Santalune forest.

The two of them settled down on the grass and fixed some lunch, taking their time to eat while watching their Pokémon play with each other.

"I love doing things like this," Serena told Ash, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I do, too," Ash replied, taking some of the rice and putting it in his mouth.

The two of them sat there like that for half an hour, just relaxing together before they Ash spotted a wild Pokémon.

"Serena, look over there!" Ash exclaimed in a hushed whisper, pointing to a branch.

"What is it?" Serena asked him, following his finger before seeing the Fletchling.

"I'm going to catch it," Ash told her before telling Froakie to follow him, slowly walking closer.

Serena, along with Pikachu and Fennekin, watched in anticipation while Serena's Zigzagoon rolled around on the grass.

When Ash and Froakie got decently close, Ash suddenly commanded Froakie to attack. "Throw your frubbles at its feet!"

The command confused Serena, but Pikachu could easily see Ash's strategy. The stickiness of Froakie's frubbles would prevent the Fletchling from moving.

"Now use Pound!" Ash exclaimed, watching as Froakie jumped in the air and smacked the bird.

Grabbing an empty Pokéball from his pocket, Ash threw it, hitting Fletchling in the wing before the Pokémon was pulled into the ball.

The ball shook three times before it stopped as stars erupted from the top, signifying that Ash had succeeded.

Ash picked up the Pokéball and released the Fletchling, rubbing its head before scanning it with the Pokédex.

"Fletchling, the Tiny Robin Pokémon. These friendly Pokémon send signals to one another with beautiful chirps and tail-feather movements. This Fletchling is female. Its ability is Big Pecks. Its moves are Growl and Tackle."

Ash bent down next to the Pokémon before grabbing a potion from his bag and spraying it on the little bird, healing her.

"Congratulations, Ash," Serena said, coming up from behind him.

"Thanks," Ash replied, turning around and giving her a little kiss before turning to face the Fletchling. "Welcome to the team!"

The Fletchling let out a little cry of its name, flapping its wings to signal that it was happy.

Ash smiled at her before returning Fletchling to her Pokéball, clipping it to his belt.

"Well done, Froakie," Ash said, rubbing Froakie's head after turning to face him, returning him, too.

"How did you catch it so easily?" Serena asked Ash, slightly bewildered.

"I've been doing this over five regions, Honey. I'm used to thinking outside of the box to come up with strategies to make it easier," Ash told her, to which she nodded, knowing that it was true.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, hopping on Ash's shoulder.

"Well, I think we should get our bags and head into the forest?" Ash suggested, to which Serena agreed.

The two of them headed back over to their bags, quickly putting everything away before they both left and entered the forest.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter complete! I've realised that these normally come out Sunday night, in British time, at least. If not Sunday, then Monday. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! I'm writing this not too long after the last update was posted! Not that there's any reason for you to know that. Anyway, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

The forest was a sudden shock to both Ash and Serena's eyes. The two of them had to stop for a moment in order to let their eyes adjust.

"It's dark in here," Serena said, blinking a few times.

Ash nodded despite the fact that Serena wouldn't be able to see it. "I think we should try and get through here quickly," Ash told her.

"Good idea, Ash," Serena replied, taking a moment to look him in the eyes before they both started walking again.

"Is there a Pokémon you would like on your team, Serena?" Ash asked her, catching Serena off guard a little.

"U-Uh, no. I don't think so, anyway," she stuttered, having not thought about it previously.

"Some people prefer certain types," Ash told her. "So I thought I could be able to tell what you prefer by a Pokémon you would like."

"Well, I would like to have an Absol, now that I think about it," Serena said nonchalantly.

"I guess you prefer the strong and cute Pokémon, then?" Ash asked her, to which she giggled.

"Absol isn't really that cute, but it is a little," Serena said, tapping her hand against her waist as they talked and walked.

"It's cute, Serena. Just like you," Ash told her, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her closer to him, leaving them both in a side-hug.

Serena giggled again. "Ash!" She exclaimed, blushing a little but not minding that they were so close. They were together, after all.

"I love you, Serena," Ash told her, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"I love you, too, Ash," she replied, about to kiss Ash back before he ducked out of the way. "Come on, Ash!" Serena exclaimed. "You kissed me, so I want to kiss you!"

"Catch me, then," Ash said, winking at her before pulling away from Serena and jogging ahead.

Serena sighed. "I don't know how I cope, sometimes," she muttered before taking off after her boyfriend.

"Ash! Wait for me!" Serena exclaimed.

"The whole point of this is that you need to catch me!" Ash called back, turning around briefly to stick his tongue out at her.

"Fine!" Serena exclaimed before grabbing Fennekin's Pokéball and releasing her started. "Fennekin! Run after Ash and make him fall over!"

Fennekin, slightly confused, tilted her head a little but ran after Ash anyway. She, being small and agile, quickly matched his pace, weaving around his legs.

Ash, trying not to trip over Serena's Pokémon, started to jump from side to side while running trying to get Fennekin away from him. However, his attempts were short-lived as he inevitably tripped over his own foot while in mid-air, slamming into the ground.

"Oh, Arceus! Ash! Are you okay?" Serena asked him, running to him from behind as he got up.

"Y-Yeah," he said, still in shock.

Serena pouted, pulling Ash into a hug. "I didn't want that to happen," she said, making Ash confused.

"You told Fennekin to trip me up," he reminded her, to which she nodded.

"Yeah, but I knew she wouldn't be able to because you're smart. And I was right because you started to avoid her really well! I was just hoping to slow you down," she told him.

Ash sighed. "It's my fault, anyway," he told her. "I wasn't looking at where I was jumping."

Serena nodded a little before kissing him on the cheek. "I got you!" She exclaimed, giggling, making Ash giggle a little too.

"Yeah," he said. "You did."

"Pika pi," Pikachu said, laughing a little as he ran over to them. He had jumped off Ash's shoulder when he fell and ran a few metres away.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Pikachu. Thanks for asking," Ash said jokingly, to which Pikachu laughed more before jumping onto Ash's shoulder again while Serena giggled.

"Well, thanks to that running, we're quite far in the forest now," Serena said, looking behind them at the ever expanding darkness.

"Is there any Pokémon you want to catch in here?" Ash asked Serena, pointing at an area just ahead with a few different species of Pokémon resting.

"I'd like that Scatterbug!" Serena exclaimed, pointing at the black and white bug. "Vivillon is so beautiful!"

"No, actually, Serena. Vivillon is Beautifly," Ash said, making Serena laugh.

"In all seriousness, I would like to catch that Scatterbug," Serena told him. "Anything you want to catch?"

Ash looked over the group of Pokémon, analysing them all. "No, actually. I've already caught a Caterpie in the past and fully evolved it. I released that Butterfree, though. I don't have any interest in those Weedle, either."

"Why not? Don't you want to complete the Pokédex?" Serena asked him, to which he nodded.

"I do, but they're so common all over the world. I can catch one back in Kanto at some point in the future," Ash told her, to which she nodded.

"I'll go and get that Scatterbug, then," Serena said, looking down at her starter. "Ready, Fennekin?"

Fennekin nodded as a response before Serena commanded her to run forward and use Scratch.

With a cry of her name, Fennekin's paw turned white before she smacked the Scatterbug. "Now jump in the air and use Ember!" Serena exclaimed, watching as Fennekin jumped up.

However, the Scatterbug had different plans. When Fennekin got in the air, Scatterbug used String shot and moved out of the way of the Ember.

"Try again!" Serena told Fennekin, who landed on the floor and used Ember again.

The attack connected with Scatterbug's face, this time, sending it flying back into a tree having almost fainted.

Serena threw a Pokéball at the bug, which hit it, absorbing the Pokémon before shaking three times and stopping with stars erupting from the top. "I caught it!" Serena exclaimed, happy with the result.

"Good work, Honey," Ash said, watching as she ran over to pick the ball up before he followed her.

Serena released the bug, who staggered a little. "Here," Serena said, spraying it with a potion. "All better?"

The bug-type nodded, smiling before Serena scanned it with her Pokédex.

"Scatterbug, the Scatterdust Pokémon. When under attack from bird Pokémon, it spews a poisonous black powder that causes paralysis on contact. This Scatterbug is female. Its moves are String Shot and Tackle. Its ability is Compound Eyes."

"That was a cool battle, Serena," Ash told her, making her smile.

"Thank you, Ashy," she responded, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

The two of them silently walked away, Serena quickly returning Scatterbug and Fennekin. They both continued down the path, hand in hand.

* * *

Two hours later, both of them had reached the end of the forest. It would've taken longer had they not ran for part of it.

"What time is it?" Serena asked Ash, who pulled out his phone to check.

"It's four now," Ash told her, which made Serena a little confused.

"How? We couldn't have been in there for more than three hours," Serena said, to which Ash chuckled.

"Remember?" He asked. "We were by that tree for half an hour, and going into the forest was another half an hour."

"And we were in the forest for three hours?" Serena finished, to which Ash nodded.

"I think we should try and get through this route as well, honestly," Ash told her, to which Serena nodded and smiled.

"I would like to sleep in a normal bed tonight," Serena said nonchalantly.

"With me, of course," Ash added.

"Maybe," she responded, making Ash sigh, pouting. "I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, tackling him into a hug.

"It's okay, Serena. You don't have to sleep with me," Ash told her, teasing, making Serena pout.

"No! I want to!" Serena exclaimed, squeezing him.

Ash chuckled. "It's okay, Serena. We can sleep together. I was just joking," he told her, to which she sighed and pouted.

"You made me get clingy," she muttered, pulling away from him and walking ahead, making Ash chase after her.

Ash caught up to her, grabbing her hand which made Serena giggle. "it's okay, Ash. I'm not angry at you," she told him, making him chuckle a little.

"I know."

* * *

Two hours later, both of them had reached Santalune. Now being somewhat late in the say, six-o-clock, Ash and Serena decided that they were going to head to the Pokémon centre straight away.

"So, what's it like? You know, getting a room in the Pokémon centre?" Serena asked Ash, confusing him.

"It's the same as getting one in a hotel. You pay a small fee and then you're free to stay there for as long as you paid for," he told her, to which she nodded.

While they were walking towards the Pokémon centre, Ash and Serena looked at the surroundings.

The town wasn't too big, a little bigger than Aquacorde, yet it felt so much bigger. The fact that there were more people must have made that feeling.

"What are we doing about food?" Serena asked Ash, who shrugged.

"Normally the Pokémon centre has food for us, so I guess we'll eat there," Ash told her.

"And if there isn't?"

"We'll go somewhere. A small restaurant, or a fast-food place? Something like that?" Ash suggested, to which Serena nodded, content with the idea.

"What do they serve in the Pokémon centre?" She asked Ash, who was starting to get a little agitated by all the questions.

"Normal food," Ash said nonchalantly, wondering what Serena could have meant. It wasn't going to be likely that they would serve fried giant's toe or something along those lines.

* * *

The two of them arrived at the Pokémon centre, quickly acquiring a room before getting food.

By the time they had eaten and returned to the room, it was only half-past-seven.

"I'm bored," Serena told Ash, who looked at her as if she was an idiot.

"You realise that there's a television in here, right?" He asked her, to which she looked at the wall, evidently only just noticing it existed.

"What?!" She exclaimed. "I guess I didn't see it when we came in," she said, placing a hand behind her head and laughing awkwardly.

"I guess so," Ash said nonchalantly, in the same tone as always when he couldn't be bothered to talk.

Serena picked up on this, grabbing the remote and turning the television on, only to be greeted by a cooking show which captivated her when she saw all the delicious looking food.

The two of them watched television for an hour before they quickly showered, brushed their teeth and retired to bed, not wanting to spend much more time awake.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Apologies that this didn't come out earlier today. As of British time when this is posted, it's Sunday, just past ten in the evening. I would've posted this earlier except that I was busy for the day. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter, but you already know that. Anyway, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

Stirring slowly from the incredible clutches of sleep, the first thing Ash saw was Serena's hair.

Removing some of her locks from his mouth that she managed in there, Ash proceeded to slowly roll Serena off him, expecting to be able to get out of bed before Serena tightened her grip and pulled him on top of her.

For some unknown reason, Serena moaned Ash's name lightly. Ash, hoping it wasn't what he thought it was: an intimate dream; Ash kissed Serena on the cheek in hopes that it would wake her up.

Much to Serena's disdain, she started to stir a little, loosening her grip on Ash and letting him roll off her.

"N-No," Serena murmured, rolling onto her side and grabbing Ash again, now half-conscious.

"I have to get up, Honey," Ash whispered to her, making her pout despite her eyes still being closed.

"I-I don't want you to," Serena said, squeezing him and nuzzling her face into his shoulder.

"I have to," Ash told her, kissing her on the forehead.

"Why?" She asked, finally opening her eyes and looking him in the eyes.

"It's time for us to get up, but I'm getting up now so you can stay in bed for a little longer," Ash explained, to which Serena smiled at him, but still held him tighter.

"I want to cuddle, though," she murmured, lifting her head and kissing Ash on the cheek, attempting to convince him.

"One minute," Ash said, sighing, making Serena almost squeal with joy.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed, nuzzling his shoulder again as hard as possible.

* * *

By the time Serena had finally let Ash get out of bed and get ready for the day, over an entire hour had passed despite him originally saying he'd stay there for one minute.

"I think we're going to have to stay here again, tonight," Ash told Serena, who questioned his statement.

"Why?" She asked him, giving him a look that showed evident confusion.

"Because, by the time we've both battled the gym leader, we probably won't have enough time to go that far into the next route."

"And?" Serena asked, grabbing her clothes as she was about to go and take a shower.

"Would you rather sleep in a bed tonight and leave a little earlier, or sleep in a tent with a bed nearby?" Ash asked.

"The first one?" Serena responded, slowly, to which Ash nodded.

"There we go," he said, to which Serena shrugged, understanding his logic.

"Okay, I'll go for a shower now," Serena told him.

"Be quick!" Ash exclaimed. "It's already eleven!"

* * *

"I'm done! " Serena exclaimed as she came out the bathroom dressed in her usual attire.

"Finally," Ash sighed, getting off the bed, Pikachu mimicking him perfectly to show that he was also annoyed with how long it took.

"How long was I in there?" Serena asked them, still drying her hair.

"You were in there for forty-five minutes," Ash told her, irritated.

"Really? It felt like five minutes," she said nonchalantly, watching as Ash gave her a look that said 'oh my, God. Are you serious? Why do I even?'

"I don't understand you, Serena," Ash muttered.

"I still have to do my hair and makeup," Serena reminded him, which made both Ash and Pikachu die inside.

* * *

Another hour later, Serena had finished everything. Now being lunch-time, Ash, Serena and Pikachu were starving. They decided to grab lunch and then attempt to get the gym-badge.

"I don't believe you took that long," Ash told Serena, who shrugged. They were walking to a café that Nurse Joy told them about when Ash extended their stay for another night.

"A girl's got to do what a girl's got to do," Serena said jokingly, shrugging her shoulders before lightly pushing Ash to the side.

"But, you don't, Serena," Ash told her, to which she looked at him, a little confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that you're already beautiful without makeup on," Ash told her, winking to make her blush more.

Pikachu, being Pikachu, watched the two of them have their little moment from Ash's shoulder, unwilling to contribute to the conversation.

"S-Shut up, Ashy," she whimpered, hiding her face with her hair.

"Look, the café's just there," Ash told her and Pikachu, pointing at the small building which stood on its own in the corner of the street.

Ash, being excited for food seeing as he and Serena ended up skipping breakfast, sped up and was almost jogging towards the café.

"Ash!" Serena exclaimed, hurrying after him before grabbing his hand and stopping him no more than a few metres from the door.

"Sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I got excited."

"I can tell," Serena remarked, laughing before they both, along with Pikachu, entered the café.

"What would you like?" Ash asked her, to which she placed a finger on her chin, thinking.

"Well, seeing as we didn't have breakfast, I reckon we need something big," she suggested, to which Ash nodded, agreeing.

"I'll have a full English breakfast, then," he said, to which Serena nodded.

"I will, too," she told him. "It's funny, though," she started, gaining Ash's attention. "We're ordering a dish that's meant for breakfast for lunch," she said, making Ash chuckle.

"It's how I roll," he said, making Serena laugh.

"Same here, I guess," she responded. "I'll go and get a table," she said before Ash stopped her.

"Drink?"

"I'll have an orange juice," she told him, to which he nodded.

"It's a good thing Pokémon get fed in the Pokémon centre, isn't it, Pikachu?" Ash asked his best friend, who nodded in response.

* * *

By the time half an hour had passed, now being quarter-past-one, Ash, Serena and Pikachu were leaving the café and heading towards the gym.

"Do you know that if you let me get up when I was going to, and if you didn't take so much time getting ready, we would've finished the battles by now?" Ash asked Serena who nodded.

"I know," she said, elongating the 'w.' "I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, Serena," Ash said, laughing a little. "I don't care," he told her. "We do get to sleep in a bed again tonight, after all."

"Yeah, we do, to be fair," Serena muttered, smiling a little.

They both entered the gym, looking around at the trees and plants surrounding the battlefield.

"Hi!" A voice rang out around the building. "Come to challenge me, eh?" They asked, before flying down from behind Ash and Serena on a Vivillon.

Both Ash and Serena jumped a little when they saw the butterfly-like Pokémon swoop over their heads as they were not expecting that.

"Yeah," Serena called out. "We're both here to challenge you!"

"Okay," the leader said, landing in the centre of the battlefield before hopping off their Pokémon. "I'm Viola, and I'm the gym leader. I specialise in bug-types!"

"Okay, Viola. We'll be battling separately, right?" Ash asked her, to which she nodded.

"I'll battle the blonde one, first," she said, pointing at Serena. "Sorry, what's your name?"

"Serena," Serena replied, smiling at her.

"And I'm Ash," Ash told her, watching as Viola nodded before rushing over to her end of the battlefield.

"Okay, Serena! We'll both use one Pokémon!" Viola informed her, calling Vivillon over to her side.

"Fennekin! Win this for me!" Serena exclaimed before sending out her starter.

"You can start this off, Serena," Viola told her, to which she nodded.

"Ember!" Serena commanded, seeing Fennekin take a step back before launching herself in the air and firing a small ball of fire at the flying bug.

"Use Gust to blow it away!" Viola commanded.

Vivillon flew a metre or so in the air but, just before getting the chance to flap its wings and blow the ember in the opposite direction, the fire made contact with Vivillon's wing, sending Vivillon backwards.

"Now use Tail Whip!" Serena exclaimed, to which Fennekin obliged.

Due to Fennekin's move, Vivillon's defence fell, meaning that it was more vulnerable to physical attacks. Serena, knowing a decent way to use this, commanded Fennekin to use run towards Vivillon and use Ember.

"Fly out of the way!" Viola commanded, to which Vivillon did.

"Now jump and use Scratch!" Serena exclaimed, making Viola realise that Vivillon's defence had been lowered.

Before she was able to react, Viola watched as Fennekin's paw made contact with Vivillon's face, dealing enough damage to make it faint.

"Vivillon, return," Viola said solemnly, pulling out Vivillon's Pokéball and converting her Pokémon to energy which the ball absorbed.

"Well done, Fennekin!" Serena exclaimed, running over to her Pokémon and hugging it.

"That was great, Serena!" Ash said, running to her from the sidelines, which was where he watched the battle.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, giving her a thumbs up from Ash's shoulder.

"Thanks, you guys!" She responded, hugging Ash and high-fiving Pikachu.

"That was a good battle, Serena," Viola told her, smiling. "I wonder if your boyfriend's better."

"Oh, he really is," Serena said, giggling a little. "This is the sixth region he's travelled around!"

"Really?" Viola asked, impressed. "I've been around Kalos, but that's it."

"So, what are we doing now?" Ash asked her, to which Viola shrugged.

"Vivillon's going to be healed by some of my helpers, and while we wait, we might as well talk," she told them before rushing off to give Vivillon to someone who could heal it.

* * *

By the time Vivillon had been healed and Ash and Viola were about to battle, they had discussed Ash's experience as a trainer, mainly the Pokémon that rested at Oak's lab.

"Let's do this!" Ash exclaimed, throwing Froakie's Pokéball, releasing him.

"We'll win this, right, Vivillon?" Viola asked her Pokémon, who nodded.

"Use Bubble!" Ash commanded, to which Froakie obliged and sent a few bubbles flying at the bug.

"Use Gust to blow them away!" Viola shouted, to which Vivillon flapped its wings a few times, popping all the bubbles except one that made contact and dealt some damage.

"Froakie! Use your frubbles to restrict Vivillon's movements!" Ash told his Pokémon, who nodded and grabbed some of the white cloud-like substance from his neck before lobbing it at Vivillon, hitting both of its wings, sending Vivillon flying to the floor. "Now use Pound! Keep using Pound!"

Froakie, being an obedient Pokémon, charged forwards and kept smacking the restricted bug until it fainted.

"V-Vivillon, return," Viola muttered, returning her Pokémon. "W-Well," she started. "Serena, you were right about Ash being a lot stronger than you."

Serena nodded as a response as she headed towards both her and Ash. "Well done, Honey," she said, kissing Ash on the cheek when she reached him.

"Here are both of your badges," Viola said, handing both Ash and Serena their badges.

"Thank you," they said in unison.

"Froakie," Ash started. "Return, buddy."

* * *

For the rest of the day, Ash and Serena spent their time relaxing. They stocked up on supplies and explored the city, grabbing dinner in the same café they had lunch in before going to the Pokémon centre to heal their Pokémon and to get them fed.

As soon as ten struck, both Ash and Serena got in bed, bidding each other a good night before going to sleep in each other's arms.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! I've realised that I have the same sort of pattern while writing these chapters over the week. For the first three or four days, I hardly write, then on the fourth or fifth day, I write anywhere between a quarter and a third of the chapter. Then, on the fifth or sixth day, I write until I'm around the half-way mark, and on the last day, being Sunday, usually, I finish it and post it. It's funny because it's not intentional. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter, but you already know that. Anyway, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

As soon as Ash woke up, he immediately forced Serena off him before throwing the covers on both him and her.

"Get up," he said with a monotone voice. "Now."

"Why?" Serena asked, moaning in annoyance, having just woke up.

"We're getting a head start because I want to make up for yesterday. You know, when we stayed in bed for ages," Ash told her.

Serena nodded before watching Ash launching himself out of bed and rushing into the bathroom with his clothes to take a shower.

"I really don't want to get up," Serena whispered to Pikachu who nodded, agreeing with her.

* * *

Half an hour later, now being half-past eight, both Ash and Serena left the Pokémon centre after packing everything they owned and showering.

"Let's go and get breakfast," Ash told Serena, who nodded.

"Good! I'm hungry!" She told him, to which Ash and Pikachu chuckled a little.

"Pika, pi," Pikachu said, to which Serena pouted.

"I know everything doesn't revolve around me, Pikachu," Serena muttered, a little solemn.

"It's okay, Serena," Ash said, smiling as he placed his hand on her shoulder before giving her a quick peck on the cheek, causing Serena to giggle. "He was just joking, right, Pikachu?"

Pikachu nodded as a response, making Serena smile. "Let's get breakfast from the same place we had lunch from yesterday?" Serena suggested, to which both Ash and Pikachu nodded despite Pikachu having already eaten at the Pokémon centre.

* * *

Half an hour later, both Ash and Serena had eaten, now not starving to death, they were ready to take on the day.

"So, what's the plan?" Ash asked Serena, surprising her a little.

"Why are you asking me?" She asked him, evidently confused. "You're normally the one who comes up with the plan," she told him, to which Ash shrugged.

"I have come up with one, but I want to see what you come up with," Ash told her as they both left Santalune city, starting to make their way down Route four.

"Well, I guess we could reach somewhere close to the end of the route, then stop and train?" Serena suggested, shrugging a little while she watched Ash contemplate the idea.

"That could be a good thing," Ash said, pausing for a second. "I was originally thinking of something similar," he said.

"That's a coincidence," Serena stated, to which Ash laughed.

"Or it's the obvious thing to do," Ash said, making Serena sigh.

"Shut up, Ash," she muttered, pushing him a little.

"Okay, okay," Ash started. "How about we rush to Lumiose city, catching any Pokémon we would like to train, and then we can come back to the route so we can train after checking into a hotel?"

Serena shrugged as a response. "How long should it take to get to Lumiose if we don't stop walking?" Serena asked, to which Ash paused for a few moments to think.

* * *

After a minute or so of silent walking, Ash responded to Serena's question. "If we don't stop walking, then we should reach Lumiose city by about two in the afternoon," Ash told her, to which Serena smiled.

"Okay, then we can stop for lunch at twelve?" She suggested, to which Ash nodded.

"Of course. We were going to anyway," Ash told her. "It's not healthy to skip meals, after all."

The two of them stayed silent for a few minutes, simply enjoying the breeze which was running through their hair.

A few Pokémon ran past Ash and Serena, usually playing with each other. All of the Pokémon were slightly mediocre, being Pokémon that Ash or Serena had already caught or Pokémon that they had no interest in catching such as Flabebe and Skitty.

However, a little further down the route, Ash noticed a certain Pokémon that he took an immediate interest in. "Serena," he whispered, tapping her shoulder and pointing ahead of them. "Look at that," he said, to which Serena followed his finger and saw a Ralts.

"I didn't know that some Ralts live here," Serena whispered back, slightly amazed.

"I didn't either," Ash muttered before grabbing Fletchling's Pokéball. "I'm going to catch it," he said before he sent out his Pokémon.

"Good luck, Honey," Serena said, to which Ash smiled, giving her a quick kiss before slowly walking forward, motioning for Fletchling to follow him as Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and onto Serena's.

While Ash and Fletchling were sneaking up on the Ralts, both Serena and Pikachu had their fingers crossed. Seeing as neither Serena nor Ash knew that they could find a Ralts on the fourth route of Kalos, they both assumed that it was rare.

"Fletchling, use Growl," Ash whispered to his Pokémon, who nodded before flying a little closer to the Ralts and using the attack lowering move.

Surprisingly, the Ralts didn't notice that its attack statistic had been lowered, still waddling around and interacting with other Pokémon.

Ash, being slightly perplexed that the Ralts didn't acknowledge their existence, commanded Fletchling to use Growl again, believing that the move may have not made contact.

Fletchling obliged, using the move again, but seeing as Ash and Fletchling were a tiny bit closer, they both noticed the blue aura surround the Ralts, telling them both that the attack was successful. However, for a second time, the Ralts didn't notice despite its attack statistic being lowered for the second time.

"Use Tackle, I guess," Ash told Fletchling, who nodded before flying forwards, slamming into the Ralts, making it stagger.

The Ralts cried out in pain, turning around and using Confusion, dealing a lot of damage to Fletchling as the Ralts was level eight while Fletchling was only level five.

Ash, scared that the Ralts would overpower Fletchling and make it faint, reacted on impulse and lobbed a Pokéball at Ralts, turning it into energy which was sucked up into the red and white ball.

The ball shook three times before stars erupted from the top, making Ash, Serena, Pikachu and Fletchling sigh in relief.

Ash ran forward, scooping up the ball before releasing the Pokémon and scanning it with the Pokédex.

"Ralts, the 'Feelings Pokémon'. If its horns capture the warm feelings of people or Pokémon, its body warms up slightly. This Ralts is male. Its moves are Growl, Confusion and Double Team. Its ability is Synchronize."

Ash sprayed the Ralts with a potion, healing it a little before he got a little notification on his Pokédex which read: Fletchling learned Quick Attack.

"Well done, Fletchling," Ash said, petting his Pokémon who chirped at the action.

"That was lucky, Ash," Serena commented, rushing over with Pikachu.

"I know," he replied. "I freaked out a little when Fletchling got really hurt, so I hoped that I'd be lucky enough to capture it, and it worked."

Serena nodded as a response, watching as Ash sprayed Fletchling with a potion before returning both Fletchling and Ralts to their Pokéballs.

"I have a question, Ash," Serena said after Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder.

"What is it?" Ash asked her, to which she shrugged.

"I don't know the best way to word this," she started, "but why haven't you used Pikachu in battle yet? Is he a really high level, or something?"

Ash sighed. "The thing is," he started, "there's been this weird occurrence every time Pikachu and I have gone to a new region."

"What is it?" Serena asked him, to which Ash shrugged before he continued walking down the route, Serena following.

"We don't know. But, every time we go to a new region, Pikachu's level gets reset to ten. His moves stay the same, though."

Serena looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Every time we enter a new region, such as Kalos, Pikachu's level gets downgraded from whatever it was before to ten."

Serena had a look on her face which screamed that she was confused. How was that possible? It seems so unrealistic. However, Serena had the idea to scan Pikachu with her Pokédex, and after she did, she saw that his level was only ten, much to her confusion.

"He does have really powerful moves," Serena commented before listing them. "Iron Tail, Thunderbolt, Quick Attack and Double Team. That doesn't seem right for a low-levelled Pokémon."

"That's what I mean," Ash told her, sighing.

Serena, getting slightly annoyed by the fact that Ash couldn't even come up with a theory, decided to drop the subject before checking the time, seeing that it was just a few minutes past ten.

* * *

By the time one-o-clock rolled around, they had almost reached the end of the route. They stopped for lunch, quickly packing everything away as soon as they were finished before they hurried to carry on along the route.

As soon as Ash, Serena and Pikachu had reached Lumiose city, it was around two-o-clock, just as Ash predicted.

They entered the hotel, obtaining a room to stay in before healing there Pokémon and heading back to the fourth route.

"So, how long are we going to train for?" Serena asked Ash, who shrugged.

"Let's try to get our teams to the same level," Ash said, to which Ash nodded.

"Everyone at level ten, then?" Serena suggested, pointing as Pikachu as he was level ten, the highest of the Pokémon with them at the time.

"Sure," Ash said before they both sent out all of their Pokémon and giving them a briefing on what they were going to do. "We're all going to be an equal level," Ash told them, letting Serena continue where he left off.

"As soon as we tell you to start training, think about your weakest move and try to either improve its quality or try to see how effective it is currently, then you need to think about ways to improve it," Serena told them, watching them all nod in sync. "Go on, then!"

Each of the Pokémon ran in separate directions, some running over to rocks and tree stumps to practice attacking them with various moves while the other Pokémon did different things such as jumping, trying to get higher and higher.

Ash and Serena, being the loving trainers they were, decided to join in with the training as they'd agreed to do.

"What should we do to train?" Serena asked Ash, who responded by dropping to the floor and going into a push-up position.

"This, I guess," Ash said before starting to exercise, Serena dropping next to him a few moments later.

The two of them continued doing push-ups, finishing at thirty with arms that felt like they were dragging trains.

"What now?" Ash asked Serena, who shrugged.

"I don't feel like moving a lot anymore, so let's do sit-ups," she said, motioning for Ash to do the exercise while she held his feet down, having a little rest.

Ash did fifty sit-ups before forcing Serena to swap positions with him, to which she moaned but obliged, doing forty-six before giving up.

"Come on, Serena," Ash said, pulling her off the floor. "We need to keep training."

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Honestly, I have no idea if there's anything I need to comment on, right now... I'm just going to end the chapter. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter, but you already know that. Anyway, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

"Okay!" Ash shouted, getting the attention of his and Serena's Pokémon. "We're going to work together, now," he told them, to which they nodded.

"Work together?" Serena asked Ash, confused as to what he meant.

"We're going to throw things at our Pokémon," Ash told her, to which she looked at him as if he was an idiot. "They're going to destroy what we throw, obviously."

Serena nodded, unsure about what they were going to throw at their Pokémon, something that she asked Ash about.

"We can throw rocks, sticks, empty cans," he told her, "stuff like that."

"What if they miss and get hurt?" Serena asked, a little concerned.

"That's what training is about," Ash told her, to which she raised her eyebrows. "They're going to get hurt in battle, anyway. This will toughen them up," he explained, to which Serena shook her head, uneasy.

"O-Okay," she said, looking over their Pokémon, who didn't seem fazed by the idea of getting hurt. It was what they were used to, after all.

"Serena, can you go and grab some sticks and rocks?" Ash asked her, to which she nodded. "I'll rummage through the bins in search of cans," Ash said, making Serena giggle.

"You've got the dirty work," she said, smiling, to which Ash nodded.

"It depends on whether or not the rocks and sticks are covered in mud, actually," Ash told her, to which she sighed.

"You really are an idiot, Ash," she said nonchalantly, to which he recoiled a little. "It's only been sunny," she told him, making him rub the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"S-Shut up," Ash muttered before turning around and heading towards a bin, making Serena giggle a little as she left in search of some sticks and rocks.

* * *

A few minutes later, Ash and Serena both returned to their Pokémon with the items. Their Pokémon had decided to do a little more training while they were gone, mainly running and jumping.

"Okay," Ash said, dropping the cans in front of him. It turned out that there was a decent amount of cans in the three bins that he had checked, as his arms were full when he walked back. "Did you get much, Serena?" Ash asked her, to which she nodded, dropping all she had collected on top of Ash's pile.

"Yeah," she said, observing the massive pile of both man-made and natural items that rested in front of both of them.

"Okay," Ash said, bending down and scooping up a few objects. "All of you are going to dodge some of these and destroy others," Ash told the Pokémon, to which they all nodded. "Ready?"

All of the Pokémon cheered their names and jumped a little, to which Ash and Serena laughed a little.

"They're eager," Serena commented, to which Ash nodded, watching her also pick up a few items.

"Okay, get ready," Ash told their Pokémon before throwing a few of the things towards them.

The first went towards Pikachu, who jumped out of the way before destroying a stick with a Thunderbolt.

Fennekin also destroyed a rock, slamming her entire weight into it while using Scratch.

A few other Pokémon dodged and destroyed, Froakie making a rock wet with a Bubble, practically transforming it into mud immediately.

Fletchling stayed in the air. It requested that it could have the items thrown into the sky, as being a bird, flying would be the main way of dodging.

Scatterbug used String Shot to send the items in different directions, something that Ash was impressed by as he had told his previous bug-types used the same tactic before.

Ash and Serena were throwing object after object at their Pokémon, moving so fast that they were almost out of items to throw a minute or two into the exercise.

By the time there was nothing else to throw, some of their Pokémon had levelled up a little.

Fennekin became level seven, same with Froakie. Fletchling was level six along with Zigzagoon. Ralts was still level eight. Pikachu was still level ten, and Scatterbug was level five.

"Okay," Ash started, looking over the Pokémon. "I think that's enough training today."

Serena nodded, agreeing with him as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. "I think we should go and get them healed," she told Ash, who agreed, saying that it was a good idea.

"What time is it?" He asked her, to which she looked at her phone.

"It's five-past four," Serena told him, to which he nodded.

"We can have a shower and relax in the hotel for a bit, then," he said before continuing. "Then we can get dinner?"

Serena nodded as she started to return her Pokémon, telling them all that they did incredibly well.

Ash did the same thing that Serena was doing, attaching their balls to his belt before Pikachu hopped up and onto his shoulder.

"Ready?" Ash asked her, to which she nodded.

* * *

Ten minutes later, both Ash and Serena had arrived at the Pokémon centre, quickly giving their Pokémon to Nurse Joy so that she could heal them.

"Ash," Serena started. "I have a question."

"Go on," Ash said, looking at her before she continued.

"Why didn't we get a room here?" She asked, to which Ash shrugged.

"I didn't really think about it. But I figured that it would be nicer to stay in a hotel than the Pokémon centre," Ash said, to which Nurse Joy turned and looked at him for a moment, looking a little offended.

"What? Isn't it good enough here?" She retorted, to which Ash threw his hands up in defence.

"No, no, no. That's not what I meant! I mean, for a change," he said, to which Nurse Joy gave him an angry look, making Serena giggle a little while Ash was a little intimidated. "W-We're travelling around the region, you see. So we'll be staying in Pokémon centres all over the region. I just thought that it would be nice for a change, seeing as Lumiose is the only city with hotels very different from the Pokémon centres."

Nurse Joy laughed a little, rubbing her hands together. "I know what you mean. Sorry I didn't understand. I thought you were insulting me and the building," she said, to which Ash shook his head vigorously.

"No, no. Of course not! I didn't word it very well the first time," he said, chuckling a little as he rubbed the back of his neck out of embarrassment.

"You get yourself into too many situations like this, Ash," Serena stated, to which Ash nodded.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed from behind Nurse Joy, agreeing with Serena.

* * *

Half an hour later, Ash and Serena had returned to their hotel room, their Pokémon having been fully healed.

"We should both shower," Ash told Serena, to which she nodded.

"Yeah, you can go first if you like," she told him, to which Ash gave her a sly look.

"Or we could shower together?" He whispered, watching Serena look a little shocked before she slapped him.

"Don't suggest that again!" She screamed, her entire face going red before she grabbed a change of clothes and sprinted into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

"Pika pi," Pikachu murmured, facepalming.

Ash turned to look at his best friend before sighing. "Shut up," he said. "It was worth a try."

"Pika pika," Pikachu said, laughing.

"I was never innocent, Pikachu," he replied, still cringing at what he said to Serena.

"Pika?"

"Yes, it was a joke," Ash told him, to which Pikachu sighed.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Ash heard the water in the bathroom stop running. He got ready for Serena to rush out with a wet hand and a desire to cause immense pain, but it never came. Instead, the door stayed shut and Serena never came out. However, both Ash and Pikachu could hear her moving around inside the small room.

"Are you all right, Serena?" Ash asked her through the door, but no response came.

After a moment of waiting, Serena cracked the door open a little, peeking through it.

"Yeah," she whispered, a little embarrassed.

"Just so you know, what I said before was a joke," Ash told her, to which she nodded.

"I know, Ash," she said. "I thought about it when I was in here, and I realised that you were just joking," she told him. "Now I feel really bad."

Ash chuckled a little. "It's fine," he said. "I still love you."

Serena smiled a little before she swung the door open and flung her arms around Ash.

"U-Um, Serena..."

"Yes?"

"You're naked," Ash told her, to which she pulled away from Ash, her face completely red.

"I-I'm sorry!" She exclaimed before she sprinted back into the bathroom and threw her clothes back on.

"I'm not complaining, by the way!" Ash called through, to which Serena blushed profusely.

"Shut up!" She shouted back before she headed back through to the main room, where she poked Ash on the forehead.

"Okay, okay," Ash said, laughing. "I'll go for a shower!"

Four hours later, Ash had come out of the shower and both he and Serena had had dinner and returned to their hotel room, where they relaxed for a while before going to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Ash and Serena woke up before quickly packing their stuff away and checking out.

"Shall we go and see Sycamore?" Serena suggested, to which Ash agreed immediately, making her giggle.

* * *

"Hello!" Sycamore exclaimed as he watched Ash and Serena walk into his lab.

"How are you, Professor?" Ash asked him, to which he shrugged.

"I'm all right, I guess," he said. "What about you two?"

"We're fine," Serena told him. "We've just come to see you for a bit."

"Ah, come through. Clemont and Bonnie are here, too."

"What?!"

"Hi, Ash, Serena," Clemont greeted, them, giving both of the shocked trainers a wave.

"What are you and Bonnie doing here?" Ash asked him, to which he sighed.

"Being greeted back is nice, you know," he said. "We just had the idea to come and see Professor Sycamore."

"We did too," Serena commented, to which Bonnie piped up.

"I guess you two and stupid people think alike!" She exclaimed, to which Clemont scolded her a little.

"Why did you say that?" He asked, to which Bonnie giggled a little.

"Because your inventions always explode," she said, to which Clemont sighed in defeat while Ash and Serena looked a little confused.

"Inventions?"

"Yeah, I invent things. I like making machines, and science is my passion. They always go wrong, though," Clemont told them, making Ash nod in understanding.

"I know how bad it feels when nothing goes your way," Ash told him. "I have lost the five leagues I've been in, after all."

"I know!" Serena exclaimed, suddenly, taking the three of them by surprise. "Why don't you come with us on our journey?"

Bonnie looked at Clemont with pleading eyes but to her disdain, he shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "I need to take care of the gym."

"Gym?" Ash and Serena asked, confused.

"Yeah," Sycamore said, entering the room. "He's the gym leader of Lumiose."

"What?!"

* * *

 **There we go. Another chapter! Apologies that this one went out a little later than they usually do. I've been busy, and I had almost finished on time, but I was way too tired. Anyway, I have a question that I would like you all to answer through a review: Would you like Clemont and Bonnie to join Ash and Serena? I wasn't originally going to make them, and they won't for now, but if enough people say that you would like that, they can join later on. We'll have a vote. The vote will end when the next chapter is released. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter, but you already know that. Anyway, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

"What?!" Ash and Serena exclaimed in unison due to the fact that they never knew this.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Serena asked Clemont, to which he shrugged.

"I never thought to tell you, I guess," he said, looking at Bonnie for a second, almost as is he was telepathically asking a question before he turned back to Ash and Serena. "I also didn't think I would see you again, so..."

"Fair enough," Ash muttered, to which Serena shrugged.

"I didn't think we would meet again, either," she commented.

Ash nodded, something that Serena saw out of the corner of her eye before she grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed it.

"Well, we should go," Clemont said, standing up and dragging Bonnie with him.

"Bye," Ash and Serena said to them, to which they waved in return. Serena turned to Ash as soon as they left. "We should go too," she told Ash, who agreed.

"Goodbye, you two!" Sycamore said, waving at them.

"Bye, Professor," Ash said, standing up with Serena before Sycamore stopped them.

"Before you go," he said, grabbing Ash's arm to get his attention.

"Hm?" Ash asked, a little confused.

"How are my two old Pokémon doing?" He asked them, to which Ash and Serena replied by sending out their starters.

"They're fine," Serena told him, stroking Fennekin.

"Good," Sycamore said, smiling.

"Can we go now?" Ash asked him, trying not to sound rude but failing a little.

"Yes, of course," Sycamore said, getting up and walking them to the door.

"Well, have a good time with your research," Serena said to Sycamore, Ash nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," he replied. "You two have a good journey! Make sure to pop by when you come back to Lumiose!"

"Wait," Serena said, stopping both of them. "Why don't we visit the gym now?" She asked Ash and Sycamore, to which they shrugged.

"We'll have to pass through here later on, anyway," Ash told her. "Plus, by then, Clemont and Bonnie can make their mind up about whether or not they want to join us."

"True," Serena said before she grabbed Ash's hand and dragged him away.

"Go through the gate to Route five!" Sycamore called out to them, to which they both nodded, heading towards the gate.

* * *

Both Ash and Serena went through the gate to Route five, emerging into the colourful route that led to Camprier town.

"What are we going to do first?" Ash asked Serena, to which she gave him a confused look.

"We can only walk?" Serena said, unsure.

"Well, yeah," Ash said, laughing a little. "I thought you looked over a map of Kalos before we started our journey."

"I did," Serena said slowly, confused as to what Ash was trying to say.

"Then you should know that Camphrier town is at the end of this route. And from there, we can go to the Parfum Palace via Route six," Ash explained, to which Serena rolled her eyes.

"I understand what you mean, now," she said, sighing before giggling a little at her forgetfulness. "You're asking whether we should go to Parfum Palace first or not?"

Ash nodded, proving her suspicions. "So, what should we do?" Ash asked, watching as Serena placed a hand on her chin, taking a moment to think about the options.

"I think we should see what time it is when we reach Camphrier town," Serena started. "Then, if we have time, we can head up to the palace tonight. If we don't have time, we can go tomorrow?"

Ash nodded, accepting Serena's plan. "We'll probably get to Camphrier before tonight," Ash told her. "This route isn't too long."

"I know," Serena said. "Maybe we can train when we get to Camprier town?"

"Yeah," Ash said. "That's a good plan."

* * *

Three hours later, Ash and Serena had reached Camphrier town. They had both decided that they were going to focus on making their way down the route and then they would get lunch in the town.

"Where should we go for lunch?" Serena asked Ash, who shrugged.

"I'm not sure, Serena," he said. "It's almost as if I've never been here in my life," he continued, sarcastically, making Serena giggle a little.

"Good point," she commented before she grabbed Ash's hand and pointed at a colourful café. "How about there?"

Ash nodded as a response, telling Serena that he approved of her choice. "It looks interesting," he muttered.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, agreeing.

"What do you mean by it smells tasty, Pikachu?" Ash asked him, making Pikachu look at his trainer. "You eat at the Pokémon centre."

Pikachu nodded, telling Ash that he knew and that he was commenting on the delicious smell that the food emitted.

Ash, Serena and Pikachu entered the café and joined the line to order, observing the menus that resided on the wall, trying to choose what they were going to have.

"I'll have spaghetti, I guess," Ash said nonchalantly, to which Serena nodded.

"I will, too," she told him, watching as Ash pulled out some money, ready to pay. "Why do you always pay?"

"I don't know," Ash said, genuinely unsure. "I do it without thinking, I guess."

"Why don't I pay this time?" Serena asked him, to which Ash shrugged.

"I wouldn't normally let you, but my wallet is getting quite empty," Ash told her, chuckling a little, slightly embarrassed.

"Are you running out of money?" Serena asked, a little concerned.

"Not really," Ash told her, confusing her before he explained. "I'm running out of money that I have on me, but there's still a decent amount in Kanto."

"Why is it in Kanto?" Serena asked him. "It's not very useful over there."

"I leave my money with Professor Oak," Ash told her. "My Pokémon stay with him and so does all the money I win."

"Is there so much that you can't keep it all on you?" She asked, to which Ash nodded a little, being careful to make sure that no-one except Serena noticed.

* * *

Three hours later, Ash and Serena had eaten and trained their Pokémon. The levels of each Pokémon went thusly: Froakie: Level nine; learnt Quick Attack. Fennekin: Level nine. Flethcling: Level eight. Zigzagoon: Level eight; learnt Sand Attack. Ralts: Level nine; learnt Teleport. Scatterbug: Level seven; learnt Stun Spore. Pikachu stayed the same.

Ash and Serena were resting in the Pokémon centre, both laying on the bed in each other's arms before Serena piped up.

"Should we go to the palace?" She asked him, to which he nodded, realising that they hadn't yet.

Ash pushed Serena off him begrudgingly before standing up and leading her out of the room.

When they were both passing Nurse Joy, she called out to them. "Are you going to Parfum Palace?" She asked them, gaining their attention.

"Of course," Ash said before realising what he said. "It's not like it's obvious," he muttered, facepalming.

"Yeah," Serena said, giggling a little at Ash. "We are going to the palace," she told Nurse Joy. "Why are you asking?"

"I'm just letting people know that a formal party is going to take place after seven; anyone can enter except Pokémon," she told Ash and Serena.

"Except Pokémon?" Serena asked, confused, to which she nodded.

"It's going to be formal, so they decided that Pokémon might make it messy."

Ash looked at Serena, who shrugged, to which Pikachu exclaimed his name in shock.

"I'm sorry, Pikachu," Ash said, rubbing him on the head. "But I don't think there's going to be anything else like this."

"What time is it now?" Serena asked Nurse Joy, to which both she and Ash looked at their phones in unison before telling her that it was four.

"Should we attend, then?" Serena asked Ash, who shrugged.

"It's up to you," he told her, to which she smiled. "But it might be a good idea to not bother if it's formal, plus Pikachu will be left here."

"I'd love to go," Serena told him, giving him the warmest smile possible in hopes that it would convince him.

"Okay, fine," Ash said, moving a strand of Serena's hair behind her ear. "Just for you."

* * *

Two hours later, both Ash and Serena were back in the Pokémon centre having just come back from buying fancy clothes. Ash actually had to call Professor Oak and tell him to send over some more of his money as he wouldn't have enough to pay for everything; something which Serena giggled about a little.

"How much longer will you be in there?" Ash called to Serena, who was still in the bathroom applying makeup to her face.

"I'll be in here until I'm done!" She shouted back, getting frustrated with Ash.

"You don't need to wear makeup!" Ash told her, making her sigh from behind the door. "You're beautiful anyway!"

"I'm not!" She screamed, which made Ash wince a little as he couldn't tell if anyone else heard that.

"You really are," Ash said, sighing before he pushed the door open slightly and slid into the room, closing the door so Pikachu couldn't see what they did.

"What are you doing in here?" Serena asked him, getting annoyed.

Ash stayed silent, grabbing Serena by the waist from behind and resting his head on her shoulder, looking at her face through the mirror that Serena was looking at to apply the makeup.

"What are you doing, Ash?" Serena asked him, looking at him through the mirror. "I'm trying to get ready."

"I just want to do this," Ash said before he kissed her cheek and smiled at her, making Serena smile too.

"You can always make me feel better," Serena responded before turning towards him and pulling him into a passionate kiss which lasted a few moments until they both pulled away for air.

"I love you," Ash told her to which she smiled.

"I love you, too," she responded. "Now get out."

"Ah, sorry," Ash muttered before leaving the bathroom and facing Pikachu, who was still salty about the fact that he wouldn't be able to attend. "I should get dressed," Ash muttered to no-one before he picked up the tuxedo that was spread out on the bed.

* * *

Half an hour later, now being half six, Ash and Serena left the Pokémon centre in their fancy clothes, having to leave their Pokémon there with Nurse Joy, who promised them that she would take care of them.

"Well, let's go," Ash said, grabbing Serena's hand before they started to make their way down Route six.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Again, this has come out on Monday, UK time, by the way. I'm going to try and fix this issue, but I don't know when. If you don't know, my schedule was originally to post every Sunday, but I ended up posting one on a Monday which pushed my schedule back a day. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter, something that you already know. Anyway, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

Ash and Serena strolled up to the entrance to the palace hand in hand.

The first thing they saw was the magnificent building. Giant marble pillars, balconies, the palace was three storeys tall. The whole thing was beautiful.

"I can see a guard," Serena whispered to Ash, giggling a little as she squeezed his hand.

"Don't worry, Honey," Ash replied, pulling her a little closer. "He isn't going to kick us out."

"I know," Serena said slowly and quietly as they both passed the guard and walked into the building.

As Ash said, the guard left them alone, staying put to interrupt anyone who looked suspicious or anyone who wasn't wearing formal clothes.

"So, what should we do?" Ash asked Serena, who was staring at something in the distance.

Ash followed her gaze and saw an alcohol bar. Unsure as to why Serena was so fixated on the bar, Ash grabbed her arm and dragged her away and towards the back door.

"Why were you so interested in the alcohol?" Ash asked her when they stepped outside, to which Serena sighed.

"I've never gotten drunk," she told him, making Ash raise his eyebrows.

"Really?" He asked, expecting her to be lying.

Serena nodded, a little embarrassed for some reason, which she apologised for. "I've always stayed away from anyone underage who drinks a lot. I never wanted to be peer-pressured."

"Fair enough," Ash said, chuckling a little. "Well, if you want to try alcohol tonight, you can. Just don't drink too much," Ash told her, to which Serena looked at him, a little sceptical.

"Why?" She asked, confused. "Why can't I drink a lot?"

"Because you haven't drunk before. Therefore, your tolerance is non-existent," Ash told her, making Serena giggle a little.

"Good point," she said, smiling.

"So, what do you want to do?" Ash asked her, to which Serena sighed and looked at the floor.

"Alcohol," she said, a little embarrassed still.

"Okay," Ash said, grabbing her hand. "I'll stay with you if you like."

Serena nodded, squeezing Ash's hand before hugging him. "I want you to protect me from any bad people," she whispered, giggling.

"Sure," Ash said sarcastically, laughing, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Let's go to the bar," Serena said, dragging Ash back into the palace and towards the bar.

Serena sat down on a stool, watching as Ash sat next to her and called the bartender over.

"What can I get you two?" He asked them with a thick German accent.

"Vodka martini. Shaken, not stirred," Ash said, smiling a little when he noticed that he sounded and looked like James Bond. He wasn't trying to sound like the fictional British spy, but shaken Vodka martini was his favourite drink and he couldn't help his British accent coming out when he said it.

"I'll have the same," Serena murmured, unable to think about anything else when the bartender looked straight at her.

"I'll get you those, then," the bartender said before leaving, going to fetch the two drinks.

"I'm guessing you've drunk a lot?" Serena asked Ash, giggling a little.

"Yeah, I have," Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've had some experiences where I've been decently inebriated in the past, mainly with my old travelling companions throughout the regions."

"I guessed so, seeing as you knew all of that," Serena told him, giggling a little.

Ash nodded, not knowing what to say. Seeing as he had no idea about what to do, he turned around and observed some of the other people in the room. He could see that everyone seemed to have come as a couple, dancing or talking to other people.

"Here you go," the bartender said, scaring Ash a little, making her swing around to face him.

"Thank you," Ash said hastily, recovering from being scared as he watched the bartender give both him and Serena the drinks.

"You're welcome," he said, bowing a little before leaving.

Ash grabbed the wine glass filled with alcohol and sipped the beverage, glancing at Serena as she picked up her glass and looked a little nervous.

"Just sip it, Serena," Ash told her, chuckling a little.

"Is it disgusting?" She asked him, looking away from the glass.

"No, of course not. I wouldn't be drinking it if it was."

Serena sighed before lifting the glass to her lips and sipping it a little, to which Ash chuckled a little at her uneasiness.

Serena lowered the glass and smiled at Ash. "It's delicious," she said, feeling an urge to drink more which she resisted.

"I have an idea," Ash said, placing his hand on Serena's arm to get her attention.

"What is it?" She asked him, giving in slightly and sipping the alcoholic beverage again.

"How about we go separately?" Ash asked, using very few words and confusing Serena.

"What?" She asked, chuckling a little at the poorly worded question.

"I mean," Ash continued, also finding his inability to speak funny. "How about we go around the palace on our own and meet new people?"

"Why can't we do that together?" Serena asked, a little sceptical.

"We can do it together if you like. But it'll be fun if we go on our own. Maybe if we get a little tipsy, too."

Serena considered the suggestion for a moment before nodding her head, telling Ash that she was okay with that.

"Okay, then," she said before picking up the glass and drinking the rest of the substance before calling the bartender over and asking for another, to which he obliged, taking the glass to refill it.

"Don't go too crazy, Serena," Ash said, chuckling a little. "We have to continue our journey tomorrow, and I don't want to deal with a hungover version of you!"

"I know, I know," Serena said, giggling a little. "You worry too much, Ashy. Just have fun tonight as I will."

"Okay," Ash said, drinking the rest of his drink before standing up, giving Serena a quick kiss, and leaving the area to mingle with strangers.

Ash couldn't tell who seemed to be approachable out of the groups surrounding him. He knew that he shouldn't bother couples, so he felt like he should mingle with a group of four or more people.

Looking around, he could see a few groups with multiple approachable-looking people talking to others. Deciding to go for it and hope for the best, Ash walked over to a group of five laughing millennials.

"Hey," he greeted with confidence. "I'm looking for people to talk to. Mind if I stay with you?"

"Not at all," a boy replied, reaching his hand out to shake Ash's, which Ash accepted, shaking it.

"So, what's your name?" Ash asked the boy, to which he responded.

"Michael," he said.

"I'm Rebecca," one of the girls told him, making a peace sign with her fingers while giggling.

"Tracey," the girl who stood next to Rebecca said.

"Matthew," the guy who was next to Michael said, rolling his eyes as if he couldn't be bothered with meeting Ash.

"Richard," a short guy said quite quickly, almost seeming too hyper.

"I'm Ash," Ash told the group, noticing that Rebecca was looking at him the whole time, despite the fact that other people were talking.

"So, what were you talking about?" Ash asked them.

* * *

Serena finished her second glass of alcohol, placing the empty glass on the side. Due to her being a first-time drinker, the alcohol had made her half-drunk as she walked away from the bar, looking for people to socialise with.

As Serena was quite shy sometimes and a little scared of what she might do while under the influence of alcohol, she found it hard to approach anyone. Therefore, she only observed the people talking, not joining in.

Looking around a little, Serena spotted Ash in a group with five other people, making her sigh a little. Why did she have to be shy?

Shaking the feeling of envy off of her shoulders, Serena continued walking around, looking for people to interact with.

* * *

"Are you from around here?" Michael asked Ash, who shook his head.

"No," he said. "I'm from Kanto."

"I thought so! Your accent is different from everyone else's!" Richard exclaimed, confusing everyone.

"His accent isn't different to ours, you idiot," Matthew said, shaking his head.

"That was a little mean," Tracey commented, poking Matthew on the forehead.

"Get off me!" He exclaimed suddenly, making Tracey take a step back while everyone in the room looked over at him, confused as to why he did that.

"S-Sorry," Tracey muttered, a little scared.

"Come on, Matthew," Michael said, shaking his head. "Don't shout at people."

"Well, I'm sorry that she touched me," Matthew said with too much attitude, making everyone judge him harshly. "What are you looking at?!" Matthew screamed at everyone in the room, scanning the mixture of scared and amused faces.

"Stop screaming, for Arceus' sake!" Ash told Matthew, making him look at Ash.

"Shut up, Midget."

Ash looked a little confused for a moment, along with everyone else. "First of all," Ash started, still trying to figure out why Matthew tried to insult him with the word midget. "You shouldn't say that as an insult. Second of all, I'm taller than you!"

A few people chuckled at this, including Serena, who, of course, was watching the drama unfold.

"Is there going to be a problem between us?" Matthew asked Ash, taking a few steps forward until he was in Ash's face.

"No, there isn't going to be a problem between you two," Rebecca said, grabbing Matthew's arm and swinging him around before slapping him in the face. "Don't be mean to people!"

Matthew staggered a little from the hit. The fact that Rebecca was a strong girl didn't make it any better, either; the impact even made his mouth bleed a little!

Sensing that he was no longer welcome in the palace, Matthew hurried out of the building, being followed by his girlfriend a few minutes later who hastily apologised to everyone on his behalf.

"I'm glad that's over," Ash commented as he watched Matthew's girlfriend leave before he turned to Rebecca. "Thank you for that, by the way. I never know how to deal with those situations."

"I think you handled it perfectly," she commented, chuckling a little.

"Well," Ash said, staying silent for a moment while he thought about what to say. "You did better. You made him leave, after all."

"True," Rebecca said, giggling a little.

By this time, everyone in the room was watching Ash and Rebecca due to the fact that they just sent two people rushing out of the building. Therefore, a crowd around Ash and Rebecca formed as they sensed that something was going to happen. Even Serena was still watching as she could tell that Rebecca was about to do something.

"I don't know why people are gathering here," Ash whispered to her, making Rebecca shrug.

"Maybe they can tell that I'm going to do this," she whispered back, leaning in to kiss Ash before she felt an impact on her face.

"Don't kiss my boyfriend!"

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! As you can tell, I want a little bit of drama to occur throughout this story. I also want to stray away from the cannon a little as I personally think that it will get incredibly boring otherwise. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter, something that you already know. Anyway, let's get to the chapter!**

* * *

"Don't kiss my boyfriend!" Serena exclaimed, stepping back for a second to watch Rebecca's reaction.

"Don't slap me, you bitch!" She exclaimed, going to slap Serena back before Ash grabbed her wrist, preventing her from doing so.

"Touch her and you're dead," he threatened, knowing that it was unlike him to say something along those lines, but choosing to anyway in order to make sure that the situation didn't evolve like a Pokémon.

"You never told me that you have a girlfriend!" Rebecca exclaimed, pointing at Ash.

"Why would I?" He asked her, smirking slightly as he had to hold back laughter. "You never asked."

"Whatever," she said, clearly annoyed. "You're ugly, anyway, so I didn't expect that you'd have one."

That statement made Serena lash out at Rebecca, screaming that Ash was "the most attractive guy that she'd ever met," making Ash blush a little.

"Come on, now!" A security guard shouted, grabbing Serena and Rebecca before pushing them away from each other. "No need to fight."

Both Rebecca and Serena stopped their attempts to attack each other, taking a few steps back before taking a few deep breaths.

"I apologise," Serena said to the guard, a little out of breath.

"It's okay," the guard said. "I saw what happened, so I understand why you reacted like that. Just try not to react so violently in these scenarios."

Serena nodded, watching as the guard turned to Rebecca and said practically the same thing, to which she also agreed.

"Shake hands, now," the guard said, to which Serena and Rebecca solemnly shook hands. "Now, I think it would be a good idea if you two stay away from each other for the rest of the night."

Both Rebecca and Serena nodded, agreeing with him before Rebecca left the area, heading to the other side of the palace.

The guard proceeded to leave, heading back to his post in case something else happened.

"That was intense," Ash muttered, making Serena turn to look at him for a second, raising her eyebrows.

"It was more than intense, Ash," Serena said, shaking her head a little.

"I'm sorry about all that," Ash said, knowing that it wasn't his fault but guessing that it would be best to apologise anyway.

"It's okay, Ash. I know it wasn't your fault, so I really don't care," Serena told him before leaning in and giving him a peck on the lips, giving him a little taste of the alcohol that she'd consumed.

"Should we leave?" Ash asked her, to which Serena nodded.

The two of them bid farewell to their new friends before they left the palace.

* * *

Ash and Serena entered the Pokémon centre again, now being eight at night. They were greeted by Nurse Joy, who merely gave them a wave, making it evident that she was tired.

Making their way to their room, Ash and Serena opened to door to be greeted by Pikachu, who was sat on the bed waiting for them.

"Hey, Pikachu," Ash greeted him, giving a little wave, to which Pikachu returned to wave with joyful shouts of his name.

"Honestly, Pikachu," Serena started, grabbing some pyjamas to put on after she had been in the shower. "Tonight was hectic," she finished, giggling a little before pointing at Ash. "You can explain what happened to him. I'm going for a shower."

Serena left the room, going into the bathroom while Ash stayed with Pikachu.

"Basically," Ash started, unable to find the correct words for a moment. "We arrived and decided to split up and meet some new people, but I ended up meeting a girl who was interested in me, and then she tried to kiss me before Serena slapped her," Ash told him in one breath, taking a moment to regain it while Pikachu processed what he had said.

"Pika," Pikachu muttered, a little confused.

"Thanks, Buddy," Ash said sarcastically. "You don't need to say that it's rare for someone to like me, you know. It just damages my self-esteem."

* * *

Half an hour later, Serena came out of the bathroom, explaining to both Ash and Pikachu that she wanted to take another one because the alcohol made her feel dirty.

Ash, not wanting to take an unneeded shower, quickly stripped down to his underwear and hopped into bed, Serena getting in next to him and resting her head on his chest.

"I love you, Ash," Serena said, looking up at him.

"I love you, too, Serena," Ash replied, looking at her for a moment before kissing her on the forehead and turning the light off.

"Goodnight," they both said in unison.

* * *

Ash woke up at half past nine the following morning to find that Serena had rolled on top of him, her face inches from his.

Still unable to understand how she managed to get into these positions while sleeping, Ash shook Serena until she woke up.

"What time is it?" She asked solemnly, unwilling to get up.

"Half past nine," Ash told her, to which she sighed.

"Will you force me to get up?" She asked him, to which Ash nodded as much as possible without headbutting Serena.

"I'll give you another half an hour if you like," Ash said, making Serena look at him, joy etched onto her face.

"Really?" She asked, not believing him slightly.

Again, Ash nodded a little, making Serena delighted as she pecked him on the cheek before proceeding to rest her head on his shoulder, muttering about how he was the best.

* * *

By the time ten-o-clock arrived, Ash got out of bed, being followed by Serena, who was happier to get up than she usually was. Mainly because Ash let her sleep for longer.

"Get dressed quickly," Ash said as he walked into the bathroom with his clothes to take a shower. Both Ash and Serena had established that Ash should shower but that Serena shouldn't as she had showered before going to bed the night before.

"I will!" Serena called out as Ash closed the door. Rushing a little, Serena grabbed her clothes and threw them on before grabbing any of her belongings and packing them away in her bag.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, tugging on her arm a little in order to gain her attention.

"You're hungry?" Serena asked Pikachu, who nodded as a response. "Okay," she said. "I'll take you and the other Pokémon down to Nurse Joy to be fed."

As Serena had said, she grabbed both hers and Ash's Pokéballs along with Pikachu before heading out of the room and towards Nurse Joy, asking her if she could feed the Pokémon.

"Of course," she replied, smiling as she released the Pokémon and took them into a separate room where all of the food was held, bringing them back to Serena a few minutes later. "All done!"

"Thank you," Serena said, returning all of the Pokémon to their balls before she let Pikachu hop back onto her shoulder, heading back to the room.

"Ah, there you both are," Ash said when they arrived, packing his things away.

"I just took our Pokémon to be fed," Serena told him, to which Ash smiled.

"Thanks, Honey," he said, zipping up his bag and putting it on.

"No problem, Ash," she replied, grabbing her bag and putting it on.

"Got everything?"

"Yes."

"Let's go, then."

* * *

The two of them emerged onto Route seven, taking a look around them, they could both see that all of the Pokémon were quite highly levelled compared to their Pokémon.

"Ash," Serena started, looking a little worried. "Should we train our Pokémon until they're all about level twelve?"

Ash nodded slowly, letting her know that it was a good idea as he released his Pokémon while she did the same.

* * *

Both Ash and Serena collapsed next to their Pokémon. They were all exhausted and unable to stand up straight without their legs aching. Like Serena had suggested, they had trained all of the Pokémon until they were all level twelve, and, of course, both Ash and Serena trained with them the whole time.

Some Pokémon learnt new moves and some didn't. Some evolved, too. Pikachu didn't learn anything new, Froakie forgot Growl and learnt Lick, Fletchling learnt Peck, Ralts forgot Teleport and learnt Disarming Voice, Fennekin learnt Howl, Zigzagoon forgot Growl and learnt Headbutt and Scatterbug evolved into Spewpa and learnt Harden before it evolved into Vivillon when it reached level twelve.

"What time is it?" Serena asked Ash, who pulled out his phone and looked at it.

"It's quarter-past one," Ash told her, to which she looked over at him, a mixture of shock and confusion etched onto her face.

"How?!" She exclaimed. "It didn't feel like we were training for that long!"

Ash nodded, "we left at quarter-past ten," he told her, to which Serena nodded, urging him to continue. "We were training for three hours. It makes sense, too, as Vivillon was still level seven before this session."

"How does that prove anything?" Serena asked something, to which Ash facepalmed, leaving a thin layer of palm-sweat on his forehead.

"We would've had to have trained for three or more hours for it to level up five times and evolve twice," Ash explained, to which Serena finally understood.

"Sorry that I'm slow," Serena said after a moment of silence. "I'm just tired after all of that."

"Well, we should have lunch and rest for an hour or so," Ash said, getting up before going into his bag and pulling out the Pokémon's food bowls and the Pokémon food, giving each of the Pokémon a bowl of food.

"I want to stay here," Serena muttered, giggling slightly when she saw Ash roll his eyes.

"I let you stay in bed before," he said, shaking his head a little before grabbing Serena's hand and pulling her up from the floor. "I'm not letting you stay where you want again, for today, at least."

* * *

Approximately two hours later, Ash and Serena stood up from the tree that they were resting under. Serena managed to fall asleep on top of Ash, who let her sleep for a while before waking her up and letting her adjust.

The two of them packed everything away before they slung their bags over their shoulders and started heading towards the end of the route.

The two of them had only been walking for a few moments when Serena noticed something.

"Is that a Roselia?"

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! I've managed to post this a few hours earlier than I usually do, which is miraculous. I had to overcome writer's block, too, at one point. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

"Is that a Roselia?" Serena asked Ash, who looked around a little, unable to see a Roselia.

"Where?" He asked her, to which she pointed out the little, green Pokémon. "Oh, yeah," Ash said, spotting it. "That is a Roselia. Why?"

"I want a Roserade," Serena said, grabbing Fennekin's Pokéball and releasing her.

"Fair enough," Ash said, chuckling a little. "Good luck."

"Thanks!" Serena exclaimed, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before she headed towards the Roselia with Fennekin while Ash followed slowly, keeping at least ten metres between them.

"Use Ember!" Serena exclaimed when both she and Fennekin were a few metres away from Roselia.

Fennekin jumped into the air and fired a small ball of fire at the Grass-type, catching it by surprise when it staggered due to being hit.

Not wanting to give Roselia the chance to hurt Fennekin, Serena lobbed a Pokéball as soon as Fennekin's attack made contact.

Roselia went into the ball, being transformed into energy for the process to take place.

The Pokéball shook three times before stars erupted out of the top, showing Ash and Serena that the Roselia had been successfully caught.

"Well done, Serena!" Ash exclaimed, rushing over to her and giving her a hug, which she gratefully returned.

Serena picked up the Pokéball and released the Roselia, spraying it with a potion to heal it before she scanned it with her Pokédex.

"Roselia, the thorn Pokémon. It uses the different poisons in each hand separately when it attacks. The stronger its aroma, the healthier it is. This Roselia is male. Its ability is Poison Point. This Roselia's moves are Growth, Poison Sting, Stun Spore and Mega Drain.

"It's level fourteen," Serena commented, looking over some of the information that the Pokédex didn't narrate.

"Really?" Ash asked her, a little shocked.

Serena nodded, looking at him for a second before she giggled a little.

"It's a good thing that we trained our Pokémon, isn't it?" She said, to which Ash nodded, chuckling.

"If we didn't, that would've been a harder battle."

"I doubt it would have been that hard," Serena said, closing her Pokédex before she smiled at Roselia and returned it to its Pokéball.

"Let's head to the end of the route," Ash said, grabbing Serena's hand before they both started walking.

* * *

Four hours later, both Ash and Serena arrived at the end of the route, completely exhausted. Seeing as they had trained for three hours earlier in the day, they weren't fully prepared to walk for four more hours.

"Okay," Ash said, slumping down onto the floor as Serena sat down next to him. "Let's stay here for tonight."

Serena nodded, unwilling to use a lot more energy on speaking.

Ash begrudgingly stood up and opened his bag, pulling out their tent that was so tightly wrapped that it could fit with everything else.

He unravelled it before grabbing the rest of the tent supplies, quickly setting it up while Serena rested and then started setting things up for dinner.

"Can you get some sticks?" She asked Ash, who nodded, having gotten used to being active again.

"Of course," Ash replied, rushing off to grab some wood for the fire which was going to be used to cook dinner.

* * *

Three hours later, both Ash and Serena were tucked tightly in their sleeping bag, snuggling as close as they could be.

"I don't want to get up in the morning," Serena muttered to Ash, making him chuckle a little.

"You don't have to worry about that for another ten hours, Serena," Ash told her, to which she giggled a little.

"I know that!" She exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

"Let's get some sleep," Ash told her, yawning a little which made Serena yawn as well.

"Okay, Ashy. Good night!" Serena said, nuzzling her head into the crook of Ash's neck.

"Night, Serena," Ash replied, kissing her on the forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

Both Ash and Serena climbed out of their tent at ten o'clock in the morning still a little tired but able to deal with it.

The fed themselves along with their Pokémon before the two of them packed everything away and got ready to enter Connecting Cave.

"Do we have a plan?" Serena asked Ash, who shrugged.

"We haven't been through a cave before, so I'll let you know one thing about them: They're heavily infested by Zubat. Every cave in Kalos has too many Zubat inside of them, so I'd recommend having a Pokémon next to you the whole time," Ash explained to which Serena nodded, releasing Fennekin and explaining the situation to her.

"Should Fennekin attack every Pokémon that gets close to us?" Serena asked, to which Ash nodded.

"If any Pokémon get close, they'll most likely be looking for a battle, so attack straight away," Ash told both Serena and Fennekin, addressing the Pokémon at the end.

Both Fennekin and Serena nodded in unison, making Ash laugh a little. "You two are just like each other," Ash said, making Serena look at Fennekin for a moment.

"No," she said bluntly. "Fennekin's cute."

"You're cute, Serena," Ash told her, attempting to reassure her which he did.

"Whatever," She muttered, blushing a little before she realised something. "Ash," she started, looking him in the eyes. "I'm a little scared of the dark."

"You are?" Ash asked, confused. Serena had never shown signs of being scared of the dark previously, therefore this was a shock.

Serena nodded as a response, looking at the ground to try and hide her embarrassment.

"It'll be fine, Honey," Ash said reassuringly, pulling her into a quick hug before he let go. "I'll protect you from the demons."

"Shut up," Serena said quietly, blushing before she grabbed Ash's hand and dragged him into the cave, prepared to travel through the darkness.

The two of them walked hand in hand for a few minutes before they encountered their first Pokémon: A Whismur.

"Pikachu," Ash said, calmly, making sure not to alert the Pokémon of their presence. "Use Iron Tail."

Pikachu nodded before taking a few steps towards the oblivious Pokémon while his tail turned to pure metal just a few moments before he swiped at the Pokémon, sending it flying into a wall, fainted.

"Good job, Buddy," Ash congratulated him, giving his best friend a quick high five before Pikachu jumped up onto his shoulder, realising that there wasn't much of a point for him to be on the ground.

"That was a little brutal," Serena said, giggling nervously.

"Don't worry," Ash said, squeezing her hand. "It'll wake up in a few minutes. And it won't be hurt after that!"

Serena nodded, realising that he was correct. They are all thrown around all the time throughout Pokémon battles.

The two of them continued walking before they saw the exit in the distance. The cave wasn't the longest thing in the world, therefore it only took Ash and Serena around thirty minutes to pass through, all the while fending off against wild Pokémon.

"We're almost out, Serena," Ash said, squeezing her hand to give her some extra comfort.

"I know," she said, a little relieved before a Zubat flew down from the ceiling and came close to Serena, making her jump.

Ash chuckled at the scene, finding it hard not to make any jokes about the situation to Serena who could slap him for being annoying.

* * *

A few minutes later, Ash and Serena emerged into Cyllage city, being temporarily blinded by the penetrating sunlight.

"We're here," Ash said, observing the city slightly, Serena doing the same.

"Should we go to the Pokémon centre?" She asked him, to which Ash nodded, looking for it before he spotted it roughly five minutes away.

"Come on," he said, dragging Serena, who returned Fennekin to her Pokéball.

* * *

Ash and Serena entered the Pokémon centre, healing their Pokémon before acquiring a room and heading to it in order to drop off their belongings.

"I say that we get lunch in a café and then check out the gym," Serena said, hearing Ash's stomach growl, in need of food.

"Good idea," Ash commented, dropping his bag and grabbing his money, Pikachu pointing at his mouth, telling them that he was hungry.

"We'll let Nurse Joy feed our Pokémon," Serena said, grabbing her Pokéballs, Ash doing the same before they left the room and went to Nurse Joy.

"Would it be all right if you feed our Pokémon?" Ash asked her, to which she nodded.

"Of course, you two," she said, taking each of the Pokéballs and Pikachu, releasing the Pokémon and taking them into a back room to be fed.

Ash and Serena slumped down on a couch in the room for a moment, waiting for her to return, which she did a few minutes later.

"Thank you," Ash and Serena said in unison, to which Nurse Joy smiled, handing them their Pokémon.

"You're welcome," she said before giving them a little bow.

"Let's go and get some food," Ash told Serena, clipping his Pokéballs to his belt while Pikachu hopped back onto his shoulder.

* * *

"What should we get?" Ash asked Serena, who shrugged.

"I'll have a sandwich," she said, to which Ash nodded.

"I will, too," he replied, heading over to the counter to order while Serena grabbed a table and sat down.

"Hey," a guy close to Serena said, grabbing her arm to gain her attention.

"W-What?" Serena asked, pulling her arm out of his grip.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said, chuckling a little. "I just wanted to talk to a beautiful lady."

"I have a boyfriend," Serena said, pointing over at Ash, who was stood with the cashier, paying for the food.

"The one with that Pikachu on his shoulder?" He asked, to which Serena nodded. "The Pikachu looks strong."

"It is. It's very strong," Serena said, intending to intimidate him and make him go away.

"It should be a good opponent for my Pokémon, then," he commented, smirking.

"Are your Pokémon strong?" Serena asked, hoping that he was going to say that they were mediocre.

"Incredibly," he said. "I'm the gym leader of this city. My name's Grant."

"Y-You're the gym leader?!" Serena exclaimed, a little shocked that a creep managed to gain that title.

"Of course," he said, running a hand through his hair. "The champion couldn't resist my attractiveness and had to give me the roll."

Serena sweatdropped at this, unable to think about what to say before Ash saved her, sitting down opposite her.

"What's going on?" He asked, observing Serena's confused face and the random guy rubbing his hair.

"This guy's the gym leader, apparently," Serena blurted out, wanting the situation to end.

"Cool," Ash said nonchalantly, sliding Serena's sandwich over to her before he took a bite of his own.

"I want to battle you, kid," Grant told Ash, who almost choked on his sandwich.

"That was sudden," he said, chuckling a little.

"It's true," Grant replied, placing some money on his table before standing up. "Meet me at the gym sometime soon."

"Okay," Ash said slowly, unable to think of anything else to say before Grant walked out of the café.

"That was odd," Ash said, shaking his head before he bit into his sandwich again.

"It really was," Serena murmured before she also carried on eating.

* * *

There **we go! Another chapter is done! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena left the café a few minutes later having finished their lunch, still processing what just happened.

"So that guy's the gym leader?" Ash asked Serena for the fifth time, to which she nodded, again, for the fifth time.

"And a bit of a creepy man," Serena added. She had explained to Ash what happened between her and Grant while Ash was ordering their food. Ash, being Ash, was slightly shocked that some people can be like that, but he told Serena that Grant most likely didn't realise that she was with anyone. "What about when I pointed you out to him?" She asked, to which Ash shrugged.

"Maybe he didn't believe you?" He suggested, making Serena nod, considering the possibility.

* * *

The two of them had decided that they wanted to go to the Pokémart and replenish their supply of Pokéballs and potions before they were going to head to the gym.

Ash and Serena entered the blue building and started walking down the isles, grabbing Pokéballs, potions and anything else they needed such as food.

They paid for the items before they threw them into their bags and headed towards the gym, their Pokémon ready, too.

"What Pokémon are you going to use for the battle, Ash?" Serena asked him, to which he looked over at Pikachu and nodded.

"He seemed interested in Pikachu, didn't he?" Ash said, to which Serena nodded. "I should let Pikachu battle and the others can battle in the other gyms."

"Good idea," Serena commented before she looked down at her belt where her Pokéballs were and placed a finger on her chin. "I'm not sure who I should use," she said, to which Ash started to help her think.

"What about using Roselia?" Ash suggested to her, to which Serena nodded, happy with that suggestion.

"Yeah, that's a good idea!" She said, grabbing Roselia's Pokéball and clutching it tightly.

"I suggested it because it's new and has a type advantage," Ash told her, to which Serena agreed.

"This thing is massive!" Serena suddenly exclaimed, looking straight ahead, making Ash look.

What stood in front of Ash and Serena was a building that stood taller than the rest in the city, possibly more than three storeys except it was all combined into one. There were a few windows, but they all resided under three metres up the building.

"What is it?" Ash asked Serena, who shrugged before a voice rang out behind them.

"I see you finally came!"

A flurry of footsteps echoed from behind Ash and Serena before Grant suddenly appeared in front of them.

"I'm happy to see that you've come to battle me," Grant told Ash and Serena, who looked at him with wide eyes.

"This is the gym?" They both asked him in unison, to which he nodded, used to people giving that reaction.

"I get that a lot," he commented before turning around and heading towards the entrance, gesturing to tell them to follow.

The three of them entered the building, revealing to Ash and Serena that the whole area consisted of a cave setting with a massive battlefield in the centre.

"I use Rock-type Pokémon, in case you don't know," Grant told Ash and Serena, who nodded despite Grant being unable to see.

"We know," Serena said, releasing her Roselia, expecting that she would end up battling first, to which her expectations were correct.

"I want to battle the girl first," Grant told Ash, pointing at Serena.

"She has a name, you know," Ash said, a little irritated at his rudeness.

"I know, but I don't know her name," he said, grabbing a Pokéball and releasing the Pokémon which was an Amaura. "Are you ready?" He asked Serena, who nodded.

The two of them walked towards their respective sides of the battlefield and commanded their Pokémon to stand in front of them.

"Go!" The referee shouted, signalling that the battle had begun.

"Roselia!" Serena shouted, thinking about what she should command it to do first. "Use Mega Drain!"

Roselia nodded before putting its hands together, forming a glowing, green ball of energy. Roselia threw the ball at Amaura, to which the ball exploded on contact, sending waves of green light back towards Roselia, healing it despite Roselia having not taken damage.

"Use Take Down!" Grant exclaimed, to which Amaura obliged, running at Roselia with outstanding speed.

"Jump over it!" Serena blurted out, unable to think about anything else to command.

Roselia jumped into the air and landed on Amaura's head, confusing the Rock-Ice-type a little as it couldn't understand where Roselia went.

"Now use Stun Spore!" Serena exclaimed, watching as Roselia sent some particles of mystical energy into Amaura's head, making it paralysed.

"Use Rock Tomb on yourself!" Grant commanded Amaura, to which is obliged, getting through the paralysis to wreak havoc upon its own back.

"Jump off and use Growth!" Serena exclaimed, examining Roselia as it hopped off the Amaura and boosted its special attack and special defence.

The rocks created by Amaura using Rock Tomb fell from the air and landed on top of Amaura who was uncertain about Roselia being there. Seeing as Roselia was a light Pokémon in comparison to Amaura, the overall weight didn't change much when Roselia jumped off.

The rocks slammed into the Rock-Ice-type, dealing decent damage because of the partial Ice-typing.

Amaura staggered a little before Serena gave the last command of the battle.

"Finish it off with Mega Drain!"

Roselia performed the same procedure as before, sending the ball of green energy towards Amaura which made contact and caused it to faint, all the while healing Roselia despite it still being at full health.

"Amaura is unable to battle! Roselia wins!" The referee shouted as Grant returned Amaura and Serena congratulated Roselia, getting a message on her Pokédex which informed her about Roselia levelling up.

"Congratulations, Serena!" Ash exclaimed, running over towards her from the sidelines.

"Thanks, Ash," Serena replied, pulling him into a tight embrace which crushed Ash slightly although he didn't complain.

"I-I was just going easy on you," Grant said to Serena, handing the Pokéball containing his fainted Amaura to the referee who was going to take it to the Pokémon centre.

"As if," Ash muttered, letting Pikachu hop off his shoulder as they both walked onto the battlefield.

"Good luck, Ash!" Serena exclaimed, going to the sidelines to observe her boyfriend and Pikachu.

"Let's win this, Tyrunt!" Grant exclaimed, sending out his strongest Pokémon to oppose Ash's Pikachu.

"That looks strong," Ash murmured to himself when Tyrunt materialised in front of both him and Pikachu.

"Seeing as the referee isn't here, we can start now," Grant told Ash, who nodded as a response.

"Use Iron Tail, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, kicking off the fight.

Pikachu ran towards Tyrunt before leaping into the air while his tail turned to a pure metal as he spun and then connected with the opposing Pokémon.

The attack did a decent amount of damage to Tyrunt, who staggered back a little instantly while Pikachu jumped backwards and landed close to Ash.

"Use Rock Tomb!" Grant exclaimed, watching as Ash and Pikachu desperately tried to come up with something.

"Use Double Team!" Ash shouted abruptly, having just thought of the tactic.

Pikachu obliged, making tons of copies of himself which surrounded Tyrunt, covering the whole battlefield.

Tyrunt, unsure as to which Pikachu was the real one, decided to cover the whole battlefield with rocks except for where it was. However, Ash and Pikachu had other plans.

As the rocks started to fall, Ash called out "use Quick Attack," to which Pikachu sprinted at Tyrunt and slammed into its back, sending it flying forward and into the cascading rock. Pikachu rushed to the area where rocks weren't falling to ensure protection.

His opponent, however, was being hit by falling debris, dealing small chunks of damage with every rock that made contact.

Sensing that it would take a while for Tyrunt to faint at this rate, Ash told Pikachu to use Iron Tail to propel rocks at Tyrunt, to which Pikachu complied.

Tyrunt was being hit from all angles by rocks, each one knocking off a chunk of its health until it finally fell to the ground having fainted.

The rocks stopped falling from the air and Pikachu bounded back over to Ash before leaping onto his shoulder.

Grant returned his fainted Pokémon and gave it to the referee who had returned with Amaura mid-battle.

"Fine, I guess you two won fairly," Grant murmured before he shoved a hand into his pocket, fishing out two badges.

Ash and Serena watched as Grant headed over to them, ready to receive their second badge.

"Here you go," Grant said, giving Ash and Serena a badge each.

"Thank you," they both said in unison before leaving the gym, giving him a small wave as they exited the gigantic building.

Ash and Serena talked about a few things while heading back to the Pokémon centre.

* * *

Ash and Serena walked into the Pokémon centre, checking the time and seeing that it was two o'clock in the afternoon.

They healed their Pokémon before the two of them headed back to their room and decided to head to the next route to train their Pokémon, as they knew the level gap between their Pokémon and the wild Pokémon on Route ten.

They both headed out of the Pokémon centre and made their way onto Route ten and started to train their Pokémon.

* * *

When they finished, their Pokémon's levels had all elevated to twenty.

Out of Ash's Pokémon, Pikachu stayed the same, Froakie evolved into Frogadier and learnt Water Pulse while forgetting Bubble, Fletchling evolved into Fletchinder and learnt Flail and Agility while forgetting Growl and Tackle, Ralts evolved into Kirlia and learnt Magical Leaf while forgetting Growl.

Out of Serena's Pokémon, Fennekin evolved into Braixen, learnt Flame Charge and Psybeam while forgetting Tail Whip and Howl, Zigzagoon evolved into Linoone, learnt Fury Swipes and forgot Tail Whip, Vivillon learnt Psybeam and forgot Harden while Roselia learnt Magical Leaf and forgot Growth.

Ash and Serena returned to the Pokémon centre, ate some food and headed back to their room, quickly showering before they spent the last hour watching television. As soon as they started to feel tired, they both retired to bed.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! I wrote the majority of this chapter in one day. How much did I write at that time? One-thousand words. I don't believe it either! Also, according to Grammarly, this chapter has no errors in it! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena rose out of bed at eleven o'clock the next morning, deciding that they were going to make their way down Route Ten and stay in Geosenge until the day after.

The two of them collected their possessions and fed their Pokémon plus themselves before leaving the Pokémon centre and heading towards Route Ten.

"I'm still kind of shocked that these wild Pokémon are such high levels," Serena told Ash, who agreed.

"I think most people head down towards Ambrette Town before going this way because of the level gap," Ash told her, to which she agreed before she spotted a wild Eevee stuck in a tree.

"Ash!" She exclaimed, pointing at the tree. "We have to help it!"

"Okay," Ash said, pulling out Fletchinder's Pokéball before releasing the Fire-Flying-type.

"Fletchinder!" Ash started, getting his Pokémon's attention. "Fly up to that tree and get the Eevee out of it," he commanded to which Fletchinder nodded, flying off towards the tree.

Ash and Serena hurried over while Fletchinder was helping, hoping that the Eevee wouldn't be scared of flying.

Much to their frustration, Eevee didn't seem to want to hop onto Fletchinder's back and descend.

"What other options do we have?" Ash asked Serena, who shrugged.

"I guess one of us will have to climb up the tree and carry it down?" She suggested, to which Ash nodded. "I'll do it if you want," Serena told him, making Ash shake his head.

"Don't, Serena," Ash said sternly, confusing her.

"Why not?" She asked him.

"It's dangerous to climb with one hand," Ash explained, to which she agreed but complained as he would have to. "You're also wearing a skirt."

Serena looked down, seeing that she was indeed wearing a skirt. Now understanding half of the reason why Ash didn't want her to climb the tree, Serena agreed.

Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder, watching Ash as he made his way over to the tree.

Ash looked up at the tree before grabbing onto the second lowest branch before pulling himself up, resting his foot on the lowest branch.

Ash continued to climb up towards the Eevee who was shaking in fear as the tree moved slightly due to Ash climbing it.

The Eevee became a little less scared when it realised what Ash's motives were. Eevee became open to the idea and started heading towards him.

Ash paused. He noticed that Eevee was making its way over, so he observed.

Eevee cautiously made its way over to Ash and stopped when it stood next to Ash on the branch adjacent to his arm.

Ash reached out and picked Eevee up with his right arm before he slowly started descending.

"Ash!" Serena called up to him, stood close to him with her arms outstretched. "Pass it down to me!"

Ash obliged, carefully lowering his arm down to Serena, to which Eevee jumped from Ash to Serena as Ash continued to climb down while Serena cradled the Pokémon.

"There, there," Serena said, calmly, slowly rocking it back and forth to calm it down.

The Eevee made a small noise of satisfaction before it closed its eyes and fell asleep in Serena's arms.

Ash walked over to Serena and the Eevee, commenting that Serena looked comfortable with the Pokémon.

"I am comfortable," Serena replied, giggling slightly.

"Why don't you catch it?" Ash asked her, to which Serena nodded, stroking Eevee before Ash passed her an empty Pokéball.

Serena took the ball and tapped the Eevee on the head with it, watching as the Pokémon was transformed into red energy and sucked into the ball which shook three times before stopping.

Serena smiled before releasing Eevee and scanning it with her Pokédex.

Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. A rare Pokémon that adapts to harsh environments by taking on different evolutionary forms. This Eevee is female. Its moves are Covet, Swift, Bite and Baby-Doll Eyes. This Eevee's ability is Adaptability.

Eevee woke up when it was released, quickly running towards Serena and nuzzling her legs lightly.

"That has to be the cutest thing I've ever seen," Ash commented as he watched Eevee being affectionate.

"Would you like to walk with us, Eevee?" Serena asked the Pokémon who jumped up and down, nodding vigorously.

"Looks like we have a second Pikachu," Ash said, chuckling a little, making Serena giggle.

"Let's keep heading to Geosenge," Serena told him before they both, along with Pikachu and Eevee, made their way to Geosenge.

* * *

The two of them entered the town. The whole walk mainly consisted of Eevee being cute while Ash and Serena appreciated it. There, of course, was the occasional battle, but not much came out of them.

"What time is it?" Ash asked Serena, who checked her phone.

"It's two o'clock," she replied, not bothering to inform him about the extra details. "Shall we heal our Pokémon and then get lunch?" She inquired, to which Ash nodded.

* * *

The two of them did just that, leaving the café that they decided to eat at having healed their Pokémon. They had rented a room in the Pokémon centre and were heading back to it when they saw something in the distance.

"What's that?" Serena asked Ash, to which he shrugged, unable to make out what was happening.

"I don't know, but it doesn't look good," he replied before he grabbed Serena's hand and started heading towards the sight.

* * *

The two of them arrived at the scene to see that a man dressed entirely in bright orange clothes was trying to take a blue-haired girl's Pokémon.

"You're not taking my Slurpuff!" The girl screamed as the man made it faint with his Alolan Raticate.

"You'll find that you're wrong there," the man said before going to grab the Pokémon.

Both Ash and Serena were disgusted by what they were watching. They knew that they had to do something, but neither of them had any ideas.

It was only when the man started going to grab the Slurpuff that Pikachu decided on his own to use Iron Tail on the Alolan Raticate, sending it flying into his trainer which, in turn, sent him zooming through the air.

"That was smart," Ash muttered, shocked that Pikachu thought about doing that. He wasn't shocked by his Pokémon's intelligence, but he was shocked by the fact that Pikachu thought of something like that.

The man yelped at both impacts; being hit by his Pokémon and colliding with the floor. He rolled a little and caught a glimpse of the blue-haired girl rushing over to her Pokémon and returning it to its Pokéball before thanking Ash, Serena and Pikachu before sprinting to the Pokémon centre.

The Raticate stood up, having rolled away from its trainer before it charged at Pikachu, wanting to get revenge.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Ash exclaimed, watching the Raticate's face change from one of anger to one of fear while it observed Pikachu's sparking cheeks.

Pikachu jumped into the air before his sparking cheeks erupted electricity, sending it towards the Raticate.

The attack made contact and even made the already dark Pokémon darker as the electricity singed its fur a little.

Raticate fainted, falling over before being returned by its trainer who had risen from the floor.

"Curse you two and that damn rat," the man said before turning around and running off.

"Says the person who was attempting to steal a Pokémon!" Serena screamed after him, calming down a little when Ash grabbed her hand and squeezed it, attempting to comfort her.

"It's okay, Serena," Ash told her, making her smile. "Let's head back to the Pokémon centre like we originally planned," he said, making her chuckle a little.

"Our journey has been full of exciting things like that, hasn't it?" Serena replied, to which Ash nodded.

"I seem to be a bad luck magnet," Ash told her, to which Serena disagreed while Pikachu attempted to explain to Serena why Ash was correct.

* * *

Ash and Serena entered the Pokémon centre before they noticed that the blue-haired girl from earlier was sat down in the corner, idling for her Pokémon to become healthy once more.

Deciding that they should attempt to socialise with her in case she required comfort, Ash and Serena sat next to her.

"Are you all right?" Serena asked the girl, who responded with a mere nod.

"You seemed a little solemn, so we decided to check in on you," Ash told her, to which she looked him in the eyes and smiled, looking at the floor once more.

"I'm fine, I promise," she murmured, sighing. "I'm just a little shaken by the event."

"That's perfectly normal," Serena told her before placing her hand on the girls, surprising her a little but feeling a little more comforted.

"Thank you," the girl said, smiling a little more.

"What's your name?" Ash asked.

"Miette," she replied, looking at him. "What's yours?"

"I'm Ash," he said.

"I'm Serena," Serena piped up, making Miette turn to look at her.

"Are you a couple?" She asked them, to which they nodded. "That's a shame," Miette muttered, confusing Ash and Serena a little before Miette turned to face Ash. "You're cute."

Ash blushed a little, thanking her for the compliment while Serena rolled her eyes. At least no fight would happen this time, as Miette wouldn't make a move on Ash while knowing that he was in a relationship.

"Miette!" Nurse Joy called over to her. "Your Pokémon is doing just fine!"

Miette nodded, bidding farewell to Ash and Serena before heading over to Nurse Joy, grabbing her Slurpuff and leaving.

Ash and Serena stood up, heading over to Nurse Joy to have their Pokémon healed.

"Of course, I can heal your Pokémon," Nurse Joy said after Ash and Serena asked if it would be all right.

They handed their Pokémon over to Nurse Joy before sitting back down, waiting for their Pokémon's health to be replenished along with their stomachs.

* * *

The entirety of what remained of the day was filled with Ash and Serena relaxing and planning what they would do next.

"I think that we should head towards Shalour City at ten, stop for lunch outside of Connecting Cave, make our way through that, and finally stay in the Pokémon centre. We can battle the gym leader the next day," Ash told Pikachu and Serena, to which they both nodded.

"Good idea, Ash," Serena said, yawning.

"Go for a shower, Serena. Then you can go to bed," Ash told her. He had already showered, so he clambered into bed while Serena went into the bathroom.

He stayed there, relaxing, occasionally drifting in and out of consciousness until Serena came out of the bathroom, laying down on top of him before they both fell asleep.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Like the last one, this has no errors according to Grammarly. If you're wondering, I intended to introduce Team Flare at this point in the story along with Miette before I was requested to by some of you guys. So, I didn't add them because you asked me to, but because I originally intended to. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena rose out of bed at half-past nine the next morning and left the Pokémon centre having packed everything away and eaten by ten.

They started heading down Route eleven, battling Pokémon until they spotted two Pokémon close-by.

"Ash!" Serena exclaimed in a hushed whisper, gaining his attention. "Look at that!"

Ash followed Serena's gaze and saw a Nidorino and a Nidorina laying in the grass, snuggled up to each other.

Ash was speechless. He didn't know what to say about the sight. The only thing he was capable of saying was about how cute they were.

"I don't want to disturb them," Serena started, making it evident to Ash that she was going to continue but paused a little for Ash to talk.

"Go on," Ash said, egging her on.

"Would it be okay if we catch one each?" She finished, making Ash chuckle.

"Okay," he said, "but why?"

"Another trainer might catch one but not the other. And then the two of them will be separated," she explained, making Ash smile.

"That's so sweet, Serena," Ash commented, to which Serena nodded. "I don't see why not."

"Can we, then?" Serena asked, trying to give Ash the cutest look possible to convince him.

"Of course!" Ash exclaimed, almost confused as to how Serena didn't pick up on the fact that he already half-agreed when he told her that it was a sweet idea.

"Yay!" Serena exclaimed, pulling Ash into a hug before she realised that she was being loud and almost woke the two Pokémon up.

"Which one do you want?" Ash asked Serena, to which she shrugged.

"I'll take the Nidorina, please," she said, giggling a little.

"It seems that you only want to catch female Pokémon, Serena," Ash told her, laughing a little when she puffed her cheeks out to look annoyed and cute.

"I only want the Nidorina so I can advise her on what to do romantically!" Serena said sternly, for some reason getting worked up about Ash's teasing.

Ash grabbed Serena's hand and slowly led her over to the two Pokémon. He fished out two Pokéballs and handed one to Serena.

"How are we going to do this?" Ash asked Serena, who was surprised that he was asking her as she was still new to catching Pokémon.

"We should just throw these?" Serena suggested, not wanting to hurt the two innocent Pokémon and unable to think of an alternative.

"Sure," Ash replied. "It will be a stealthy way to do it," he mumbled before Serena started to drag him over to the two Pokémon.

The two of them made their way over to the Nidorino and Nidorina, being careful not to alert them of their presence.

"On the count of three, we'll throw the balls," Ash told Serena, who nodded.

"One," they both said in unison before continuing with "two, three!"

They threw the Pokéballs at the same time. Both balls made contact with their respective target, converting them both to energy at the same time.

The balls shook three times before stopping while stars erupted from the top.

Ash and Serena picked up their ball and released the Pokémon, happy that they succeeded.

"That worked well," Ash commented, surprised that Serena's tactic worked.

"It did," she responded, overjoyed by the outcome before she pulled out her Pokédex and scanned Nidorina.

"Nidorina, the Poison Pin Pokémon. The female has a gentle temperament. It emits ultrasonic cries that have the power to befuddle foes. This Nidorina's moves are Scratch, Poison Point, Bite and Double Kick. Its ability is Poison Point."

Serena smiled at Nidorina as she put her Pokédex back in her pocket before she returned Nidorina.

As Serena returned her new Pokémon, Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned Nidorino.

"Nidorino, the Poison Point Pokémon. It raises its big ears to check its surroundings. If it senses anything, it attacks immediately. This Nidorino's moves are Double Kick, Peck, Horn Attack and Poison Sting. Its ability is Poison Point."

Ash, like Serena, put his Pokédex away and returned Nidorino.

"Let's keep going," Ash told Serena, who nodded, grabbing his hand before they both started heading towards Reflection Cave.

* * *

The two of them arrived at Reflection Cave by the time half-past twelve rolled around.

They sat down on the rocky surface that was present outside of the cave, taking out their supplies to make lunch and setting them all up.

"What do you fancy to eat?" Ash asked Serena, who shrugged, boiling some water.

"How about pasta?" She suggested, to which Ash nodded, pulling out a bag of pasta from his backpack.

The two of them made lunch together and fed the Pokémon. By the time it was one in the afternoon, everyone had eaten and were prepared to enter the cave.

They entered the cave and started to battle wild Pokémon as they made their way through the various levels of the cave. Of course, they rotated the Pokémon that they were using, and by the time they were out of the cave, both of their teams were level twenty-two.

Ash's Pokémon's moves stayed the same. Braixen could have learned Fire Spin but decided not to. Vivillon forgot String Shot and learned Supersonic and Roselia forgot Leech Seed and learned Grass Whistle.

As Ash and Serena approached the exit of the cave, they came across another wild Pokémon, a Solosis.

Serena used Eevee to battle it, and by the time the battle was over, Eevee was glowing white, illuminating the cave a little.

"I think Eevee's evolving!" Ash exclaimed, looking between the Pokémon and Serena.

Serena was speechless, staring at the evolving Pokémon, proud that her beloved Eevee was becoming stronger. She felt like a parent sending their child to university.

When Eevee has finally finished evolving, a Sylveon stood in her place.

Serena pulled out her Pokédex and scanned it.

"Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokémon. It sends a soothing aura from its ribbonlike feelers to calm fights. This Sylveon is female. Its moves are Covet, Swift, Bite and Draining Kiss. Its ability is Cute Charm."

"It looks like Sylveon forgot Baby-doll Eyes for Draining Kiss," Ash commented as Serena put her Pokédex back in her pocket.

Serena stared at Sylveon with a massive smile plastered on her face. She was proud of her baby Pokémon for evolving.

"I-I'm so happy that you evolved, Eevee! I mean- Sylveon!" Serena exclaimed, hugging her Pokémon.

"We should get to the Pokémon centre, now," Ash told Serena, who was too busy hugging her Pokémon to realise that they were still in the dark abyss of Reflection Cave.

"Okay," Serena said, telling Ash and Pikachu that Sylveon wouldn't be going back into her Pokéball for a while, to which they nodded, understanding.

* * *

It was six-o-clock when Ash and Serena entered Shalour City's Pokémon centre.

They rented a room, dropped off their belongings, and headed out for dinner, both of them starving.

They dined on lasagna in a nearby restaurant before they returned to the Pokémon centre at half-past seven.

"I'm bored," Serena mumbled nonchalantly to Ash, who agreed. They were laying on their bed watching television, but the only thing that was on was a bad drama.

"Same," Ash replied, trying to immerse himself in the show but unable to as its plot had so many flaws.

"I don't understand this," Serena said, pointing at the T.V.

"Yeah," Ash responded. "Why is there suddenly an attack after a singing show?"

"I don't know," Serena said, facepalming at the stupidity.

Meanwhile, Pikachu looked over at Sylveon who was in the corner of the room. He headed over to her and decided that talking to each other while their trainers weren't paying attention would be a good idea.

"S-So, how are you?" Pikachu asked in his Pokéspeech as he approached Sylveon, slightly nervous as he was talking to a stunning Pokémon.

"I'm fine, thank you," Sylveon replied, a little surprised that Pikachu was talking to her. "What about you?"

"I'm okay, thanks," Pikachu responded, rubbing the back of his head. "Today was a little rough with all of those Pokémon."

Sylveon nodded, unable to think about what else to say. She had wanted to talk to him since she was an Eevee, but they never had the chance.

"Why do you seem so nervous?" Sylveon asked him, to which Pikachu blushed a little, unable to think of an excuse.

"I-I just think that you're beautiful," Pikachu told her, mentally cringing at what he said.

"Aww," Sylveon said, a little flattered. "Thank you!"

"It's the truth," Pikachu responded. "You don't need to thank me for the truth."

Sylveon smiled at him, a little confused as to why he was flirting with her a little. Unable to think of another reason, she presumed that he was dense and didn't know he was.

"I'm a little cold," Sylveon mumbled, curling up more than she already had, trying to warm up.

"Want me to warm you up?" Pikachu asked her suddenly, mentally facepalming at the question. Why did he say that?

"S-Sure," Sylveon responded, a little embarrassed that she wanted a cuddle.

Pikachu, not expecting her to say yes, stammered a little before obliging and getting closer to her before realising something. "How am I supposed to warm you up when you're bigger than me?"

Sylveon giggled a little before shrugging. She just wanted a cuddle.

Pikachu sighed before laying down on his side right next to Sylveon before placing his paw on her side.

Serena looked over to the two Pokémon before nudging Ash, making him look at them, too.

"They're so cute," Serena said, to which Ash agreed, chuckling a little yet happy that his best friend was getting a romantic life.

"They are," Ash replied, smiling at them.

An hour later, Ash and Serena both showered and clambered into bed, ready to fall into the deep clutches of sleep.

"Good night, Ash," Serena said, nuzzling her head into his chest.

"Night, Serena," Ash replied, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter complete! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash woke up before shaking a groggy Serena awake.

"It's time to get up," Ash told her, to which she sighed and nuzzled her head into his chest.

"No!" She exclaimed, unwilling to co-operate.

Ash chuckled a little before pushing her off him. He proceeded to clamber out of bed and forcefully drag her off the luxurious sleep-device.

"You're so mean," Serena mumbled, pouting, making Ash laugh a little.

"That doesn't change the fact that you need to wake up every morning," he told her, to which Serena grumbled something about it being unfair.

* * *

The two of them got ready for the day, ate breakfast, fed their Pokèmon and left the Pokèmon centre, heading towards Shalour city's gym.

"What Pokèmon does the gym leader use?" Ash asked Serena as she knew the gym leaders and their Pokèmon's typing off by heart.

"She uses Fighting-type Pokèmon," Serena told him, to which Ash smirked, grabbing Kirlia's Pokèball.

"That's good," Ash said, looking at Serena. "You have a Fairy-type, so you have a type-advantage."

"That Fairy-type has a name, you know?" Serena replied, placing a hand on her hip to look annoyed.

"Sorry," Ash said, chuckling. "You have Sylveon, so you have a type-advantage."

"Thank you," Serena said, giggling.

The two of them kept walking towards the gym, and eventually, they saw a figure in the distance getting closer and closer at incredible speeds.

"What's that?" Serena asked Ash, wondering whether it was a Pokèmon she didn't know about or something else.

"I don't know," Ash replied, as confused as Serena.

Not even three seconds later, the figure sped past Ash and Serena, scaring them a little when it yelled "sorry" to them.

"Either that was a person breaking the sound barrier or a Pokèmon that can talk," Ash said nonchalantly to Serena, who nodded, unable to say anything.

Ash and Serena ignored the strange occurrence and continued walking to the gym, occasionally looking around in case the person came back.

* * *

As they arrived, Ash and Serena heard a faint shout in the distance.

"Did you hear that?" Ash asked Serena, who nodded, also confused as to what it was.

The two of them shook the noise off of their conscious and entered the building.

"Hello?" Ash called, expecting a response from the gym leader but was greeted by the referee instead.

"Sorry, the gym leader isn't here currently," she told them, to which Ash and Serena nodded, wondering where they were. "You can sit down and wait for her if you like."

Ash and Serena obliged, taking a seat in the spectating area.

* * *

After a minute of waiting, a blonde-haired girl pushed the door open and skated in, panting a little.

"Wow!" She exclaimed, catching her breath. "That was a good workout."

She looked over at Ash and Serena, who were standing up, waiting for something to happen.

"Sorry for the wait!" She said, leaning over and pressing a button on her shoes, retracting wheels back into it. "I was out skating."

"I think you passed us," Ash told her. "Or your after-image did, at least."

"I thought I recognised you!" The girl exclaimed, quite energetic. "I almost went into you two."

"I'm glad you didn't," Serena said, laughing. "We'd be on the other side of Kalos if you did!"

The girl laughed a little before gesturing to the referee, who nodded before rushing off and returning a minute later, handing the girl a Pokèball.

"Here you go, Korrina," she said, handing the gym leader, now known as Korrina, her Pokèmon.

"Which one of you am I battling first?" She asked, turning to Ash and Serena.

"You can battle first if you like, Ash," Serena told him, to which he nodded, walking down the stairs and onto the battlefield.

"One versus one," Korrina told Ash, who nodded, grabbing Kirlia's Pokèball and throwing, releasing his Pokèmon onto the battlefield.

Korrina threw her Pokèball, releasing her Pokèmon: A Lucario.

"Battle begin!" The referee exclaimed from the side of the field.

"Lucario!" Korrina exclaimed, gaining her Pokémon's attention. "Use Swords Dance!"

Lucario obliged, pressing both of its hands together, forcing its Attack statistic to rise.

"Kirlia, use Confusion," Ash commanded calmly, understanding that he had an advantage against Korrina.

Kirlia complied to Ash's command and sent a Psychic beam of energy towards Lucario, who stood still in fear.

"Try to dodge it!" Korrina exclaimed with a voice crack, a little exasperated by the sudden intensity of the situation.

Lucario jumped to side but still fell in the radius of Kirlia's attack, wincing a little as the super-effective move made contact.

"Use Feint!" Korrina commanded, watching as Lucario ran towards Kirlia, ready to attack.

"Disarming Voice," Ash said, to which Kirlia nodded and sent another super-effective move towards Lucario.

Lucario looked shocked before it fainted when the move made contact with it.

"Lucario is unable to battle, Ash in the winner!" The referee exclaimed, to which Ash returned Kirlia.

"Well done, Ash," Serena congratulated him, heading down the stairs.

"Thanks," Ash said, smiling a little. "It's your turn now."

Serena nodded, pulling Ash into a hug before Korrina piped up.

"I just need to heal Lucario," Korrina said, returning him and handing the Pokéball to the referee.

* * *

Five minutes later, the referee returned having healed Lucario.

"Thank you, Darcie," Korrina said, taking Lucario's ball from her.

"Ready?" The referee, now known as Darcie, asked Serena and Korrina.

The two of them nodded before releasing their Pokémon.

"Begin!"

"Sylveon!" Serena exclaimed. "Use Swift!"

Sylveon took a step back before firing multiple stars at Lucario.

"Dodge them!" Korrina exclaimed, to which Lucario jumped out of the way of most of the stars, however, some of them made contact.

"Use Swords Dance!" Korrina shouted, to which Lucario obliged, raising his Attack statistic.

"Draining Kiss!" Serena commanded, to which Sylveon bounded towards Lucario and jumped into the air.

Sylveon landed next to Lucario and gave him a quick peck on the arm, draining its health a lot.

"Use Feint!" Korrina shouted, hoping that Serena wouldn't finish Lucario off in the next few moments.

Sure enough, Serena told Sylveon to use Covet, dealing the last bit of damage that Lucario could handle when it connected.

Lucario fell to the ground, fainted as Serena congratulated Sylveon and returned her to its Pokéball.

"Lucario is unable to battle! Serena wins!" Darcie exclaimed, announcing the end of the battle.

"I'm too weak," Korrina said, throwing her arms over her head as she lowered herself down onto the floor.

Ash headed down to the battlefield before he and Serena made their way over to Korrina, worried about her.

"Hey," Ash said soothingly, trying to comfort her. "It's okay. We all lose occasionally."

"I know," Korrina said, sighing. "But I've lost for the tenth time in a row, now," she finished, looking over at Lucario who was still laying on the battlefield.

"How about you try to train Lucario a little more?" Ash suggested. "Maybe you could change your strategy?"

"I've tried," Korrina said, standing up and returning Lucario before handing the Pokéball to the referee, who took it to heal Lucario. "I need to find that Mega Stone."

"Mega Stone?" Ash asked, confused.

"Pokémon can mega evolve, Ash," Serena said, giggling at the fact that Ash didn't know this.

"All you have to do is give the Pokémon its respective Mega Stone and use a Mega Bracelet," Korrina explained, to which Ash nodded, understanding.

"Can every Pokémon mega evolve?" Ash asked, to which Pikachu asked whether he could mega evolve.

"No, not every Pokémon," Serena said, deciding to give Korrina a rest from talking. "It's usually a fully evolved Pokémon, but not all of them can."

"I'm guessing Lucario can mega evolve?" Ash asked Korrina, who nodded.

"Yeah, I've heard that there's one on Route twelve," Korrina said, to which Serena had an idea.

"We're heading that way next," she said, to which Korrina looked at her. "Why don't you tag along with us until you find the stone?"

"I-If you wouldn't mind, that would be great!" Korrina said, looking between Ash and Serena for clarification as to whether or not she was allowed.

"Of course we don't mind," Ash said, placing his hand on the back of his neck.

"When are we going, then?" Korrina asked Ash and Serena, to which Ash looked at the time.

"It's half-past twelve, now," Ash told them. "How about we prepare for the rest of the day and go tomorrow?"

"Sure," Korrina said, giggling. "Tired already?"

"A little," Ash said, chuckling. "But it would make sense to wait. If we leave early, you might be able to return here before dark."

"Good idea," Korrina said, to which Serena nodded, grabbing Ash's hand.

"We should go and start the preparations, then," she said before Korrina shook her head.

"Before you do," she said, putting her hand into her pocket before pulling out two gym badges. "Here you go," she said, handing them to Ash and Serena.

"Ah, thanks," Ash said, smiling at Korrina before he and Serena left the gym, heading to the Pokémart.

The two of them browsed the aisles, grabbing the items that they needed: Pokéballs, potions, food, toothpaste, etcetera.

Ash paid for the items before he and Serena left, hearing Korrina skating in the distance.

"We were with her a few minutes ago," Ash said, shaking her head, to which Serena giggled.

"She's hyper, isn't she?" She asked him, to which Ash agreed.

"If she came with us around Kalos, we would be sprinting all the time," Ash told her, to which Serena giggled more, nodding.

Ash slung his bag off, putting some of the items inside before also putting some in Serena's bag.

"Should we train our Pokémon a bit?" Serena asked Ash, who nodded.

* * *

The two of them trained their Pokémon for two hours. Each of their Pokémon grew to level twenty-five. Frogadier forgot Pound and learned Round, Fletchinder had the option to learn Roost but didn't, Kirlia forgot Double Team and learned Draining Kiss, Nidorina and Nidorino had the chance to learn Toxic but didn't, Linoone forgot Tackle and learned Covet, Vivillon forgot Tackle and learned Draining Kiss, Roselia forgot Mega Drain and learned Giga Drain and Sylveon had the chance to learn Skill Swap but didn't.

Afterwards, Ash and Serena headed back to the Pokémon centre, healing their Pokémon and eating.

They spent the rest of the night relaxing before they both showered and went to bed.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena woke up, rising out of bed, unwilling to get up.

"Come on, Serena," Ash said, trying to pull her away from the bed as she clung on.

"Fine," she mumbled, letting go, allowing Ash to pull her onto her feet and lightly push her into the bathroom.

"Get ready," he told her, handing Serena her clothes.

Ash proceeded to wake Sylveon and Pikachu, who willingly jumped up, ready for the day.

"I'm going to change and then feed you," Ash told them before he proceeded to take his pyjamas off making Pikachu cover Sylveon's eyes, which made her giggle.

"Is it bad?" Sylveon asked Pikachu, who nodded, despite her not being able to see.

"Awful, " he said, making her giggle more.

"Oi!" Ash exclaimed, looking over at the two of them. "I can still hear you!"

The two of them burst out laughing while Ash shook his head, putting his shirt on.

"Come on, Lovebirds," Ash said, to which Pikachu and Sylveon blushed and followed Ash.

"We're not in love," Sylveon said, to which Ash laughed.

"As if," he replied, continuing to tease them. "You cuddle every night."

"It's only been two!" Pikachu exclaimed at his trainer, making Ash sigh.

"There will be more," he said. "How long until there's a baby Pichu or Eevee?"

Pikachu and Sylveon started lightly shoving him, making Ash chuckle at how embarrassed they were.

The three of them arrived at the counter. Pikachu and Sylveon hopped up while Ash placed his and Serena's Pokèballs on the side.

"Can you feed these, please?" Ash asked Nurse Joy, who nodded.

She took the Pokèmon to the back room and gave them some food, returning them to Ash a few minutes later.

"Here you go," she said, placing the Pokèballs on the side, Pikachu and Sylveon hopping up, too.

"Thanks," Ash said, grabbing the balls while Pikachu and Sylveon jumped down next to him.

"No more teasing," Pikachu said to Ash on the way back, to which he chuckled.

"Okay," he said, focusing on the walk back to the room.

Serena walked out of the bathroom as Ash, Pikachu and Sylveon walked in, making her smile, now adjusted to being awake before she hugged Ash.

"Good morning, Ashy," she said, giggling a little as she saw Pikachu and Sylveon jump onto the bed and start cuddling.

"I've been teasing them a little," Ash whispered to Serena, making her giggle. "They get worked up about it. You should try."

Serena nodded, telling Ash that she would at some point.

"I'll take a shower, then should we go?" Ash asked Serena, who nodded.

With that, Ash walked into the bathroom for a shower, emerging a few minutes later.

"I've packed everything for you," Serena told Ash, handing him his bag.

"Thanks, Honey," he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips before shaking Pikachu and Sylveon awake.

Serena returned Sylveon to her Pokèball as Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder.

* * *

After that, Ash and Serena left the Pokèmon centre, heading to Shalour city gym to find Korrina.

Ash and Serena walked up to Shalour city's gym, hearing Korrina talking to someone inside.

They opened to door to be greeted by Korrina, who gave them a friendly smile and wave.

"Hey, you two!" She greeted them, to which Ash and Serena gave a little wave back before Korrina turned back to Darcie, her referee.

"How long will you be gone?" Darcie asked Korrina, who shrugged.

"A day at the most, but hopefully it'll only be a few hours. Maybe ten?" She replied, trying to figure out an answer that made sense.

"If you skate all the time, it will only take five minutes," Ash mumbled, to which Serena giggled a little.

Seeing as Serena and Pikachu were the only ones that heard Ash's remark, Korrina looked over at him, confused as to why Serena was giggling.

"What?" She asked him, to which Ash smirked.

"It's nothing, don't worry," he replied, making Korrina shake her head a little.

"All right, then," she said before turning back to Darcie. "See you soon, hopefully!"

And with that, Ash, Serena, Korrina and Pikachu left Shalour city's gym, heading down Route twelve.

* * *

"Where's the most likely place that the stone could be?" Ash asked Korrina, who shrugged.

"I've heard that they're on the floor in random locations," she said. "I even heard a story about a wild Pokèmon protecting the stone!"

"That sounds interesting," Ash said, looking at Pikachu who agreed.

"I'm in the mood for a battle," Pikachu said in his Pokèspeech, to which Ash nodded.

"Should we start looking around some of the clearings?" Korrina suggested. "It's best to start in a place where we could easily see the stone instead of in knee-high grass."

Ash and Serena agreed, spotting a clearing a hundred or so metres ahead of them.

* * *

They arrived at the clearing, looking around for the mystical stone only to find nothing but a used potion bottle.

"Any other ideas?" Serena asked Ash and Korrina, to which Ash nodded.

"A high place, like a mountain, maybe?" He suggested. "Items are found in places like that in video games, so maybe it'll be the same in real life."

"Maybe?" Serena said, unsure but realising that the idea made sense. "What about a ruin?"

"Are there ruins on this route?" Korrina asked, getting progressively more confused by the second.

"I'm not sure," Ash said, sighing. "Let's travel down the route, and every clearing, ruin and hill we find, we'll search them."

"Okay," Serena and Korrina said in unison, still a little confused but deciding that they had no other choice but aimless searching.

* * *

The three of them along with Pikachu marched down the route, seeing a few different areas that were likely to house the Mega Stone. However, when they checked, there would be nothing.

"Let's take a break," Ash said, exhausted. Serena and Korrina agreed that the three of them would check the areas that they decided would likely house the stone. Therefore, Ash had to run up every hill they saw while Serena merely turned over a few bricks and Korrina walked around clearings.

"It's your fault for suggesting hills and mountains, Ash," Serena said, giggling as she flopped onto the grass next to him.

"I just wanted Korrina to get the stone," Ash told Serena, who nodded.

"I know," she said, smiling. "It's cute that you wanted to be helpful."

"All of this sweat isn't helping me look cute," Ash said, observing his sweat-soaked clothes.

"Would you like me to dry them off?" Serena asked Ash, grabbing Braixen's Pokèball.

"Sure," Ash said, letting Pikachu hop off his shoulder so he could take his clothes off.

"Look away, Korrina," Serena said, giggling as Ash pulled off his shirt.

"It's all right," she said. "I've seen bare buttocks before," she said, giggling, making Ash look at her.

"I'm not getting completely naked!" He exclaimed at her, chuckling while taking a mental note to ask Korrina why she had seen that before.

Ash stripped down to his underwear as Serena let out Braixen, who blushed a little when she saw Ash so exposed.

"Why do I have to travel with him?" Braixen mumbled, pulling the stick out of her tail, making an ember at the end of it.

"Don't burn my clothes," Ash said, a little worried about his future dignity.

Braixen carefully dried Ash's clothes before sheathing her stick.

"There you go," she said as Ash placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair.

Serena returned Braixen before handing Ash a towel to dry off his body, which he hastily did before throwing his clothes back on, a little embarrassed about being so exposed with Korrina able to see.

"Thanks, Serena," Ash said, chuckling a little when he noticed that Korrina had a blush on her face. "What?" He asked her. "You said that you're used to it."

"I was joking!" Korrina exclaimed, hiding her face while trying to get the image of a half-naked Ash out of her head.

"Come on," Serena said, pulling a pan out of her bag along with some plates. "Let's eat lunch."

Ash and Korrina nodded, Pikachu jumped into the air from excitement and Serena ordered Ash to grab some firewood.

"More exercise?" He asked, exasperated.

"It's either that or no lunch," Serena told him, to which Ash leapt up from the ground and rushed off to grab some sticks.

"The best way to a man's heart is food," Korrina mumbled as she watched Ash run away.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Ash, Serena, Korrina and their Pokèmon had enjoyed a quick meal and were now back on their feet, heading towards the end of the route.

"It's too bad that we didn't find the stone," Ash said, resting his hands on the back of his head.

"Yeah, it is. But it's okay! I'll look again on my way back," Korrina told Ash and Serena before the latter pointed something out.

"What's that over there?" She asked, pointing at a broken building.

"It's another ruin," Ash said, squinting as they were too far away to be able to tell what it was at the time.

"What are the chances that the stone's in there?" Korrina asked Ash and Serena.

"Statistically, the chances are quite high. If it's guaranteed to be on this route, we'll find it in there or nowhere else," Ash told her, to which she smiled.

"Good!" She exclaimed. "I'm tired."

The three of them continued walking towards the ruin before Korrina's Lucario suddenly burst out of its Pokèball and sprinted over.

"Wha- Lucario!" Korrina shouted, taking off after him.

Ash and Serena ran alongside Korrina as she chased her Pokèmon, taking extreme care not to trip as they'd miss the momentous occasion.

Lucario stopped suddenly in front of the ruin. There wasn't a way to enter, so he didn't have a choice but to attack the wall, making it crumble and fall.

"Be careful, Lucario!" Korrina exclaimed as she grew closer with Ash and Serena.

Lucario nodded at Korrina, who smirked. "It's in there, then?" She asked, to which Lucario nodded. "If I knew you would react like this, I wouldn't have asked to waste Ash and Serena's time."

"You didn't waste our time," Serena said, tapping Korrina on the nose.

"Yeah, it was fun to be with you," Ash said, making Korrina smile.

"Thanks, guys," she said. "Now, let's go and get that Mega Stone!"

Ash and Serena nodded while Pikachu let out a quick "pika" before they entered the ruin, seeing the Mega Stone on a desk in the corner.

Korrina headed towards it and picked up the Mega Stone before turning to Lucario, fiddling with his belt for a moment until the Mega Stone was clipped on.

"That was surprisingly easy," Ash said, surprised that there wasn't a Pokèmon protecting the stone.

"Yeah," Serena said. "How did it get in here, anyway?"

"I don't know," Korrina said as they left the building.

"So, are you going to test it out now?" Ash asked her, to which she nodded.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! I hope you appreciate this cliffhanger. Yes, I'm evil. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Korrina lifted her arm before touching the Mega Bracelet which resided there, letting a beam of rainbow coloured light fire out of it and hit Lucario's Mega Stone.

Lucario let out a roar before starting to erupt with light, slowly being engulfed in the bright, white light.

After a few seconds, Lucario's silhouette started to grow. Dreadlocks started growing while his arms and legs grew spikes.

The light slowly faded, revealing Lucario's Mega Evolution.

Ash and Serena gasped in awe as they observed the new creature. It was magnificent.

"L-Lucario," Korrina stuttered, slowly making her way over to him.

Lucario nodded, triumphant that the evolution worked.

Korrina placed her hand on his arm, feeling the strength and courage pulsing through his veins.

Ash and Serena watched as Korrina hugged Lucario, overjoyed that they could be so much stronger.

However, Korrina wasn't the only person who noticed that Lucario was so much stronger than before.

Close-by, two people in orange suits sat patiently in the bushes, observing.

"Should we?" One whispered to the other, to which they nodded.

"Of course," he said, standing up before grabbing their friend's arm, pulling them up.

Together, the two of them charged forward, releasing their Pokèmon, an Ekans and a Duskull.

"Attack them!" One of the people shouted, pointing at Ash, Serena, Korrina, Pikachu and Lucario.

"Lucario! Use Feint!" Korrina shouted, taking the opponents off guard as they didn't expect her to react so suddenly.

Lucario leapt forward, swinging his arm before his spiky fist made contact with Ekans, making it fly back.

"Use Shadow Ball!" The second person commanded their Duskull, watching it produce a ball of darkness before firing it at Lucario.

"Cut it in half!" Korrina exclaimed, to which Lucario obliged, using another Feint attack to shatter the ball. "Now throw the pieces back at Duskull!"

Lucario nodded before grabbing some of the shattered ball, throwing them at Duskull with immaculate speed.

The shards made contact, sending Duskull back, fainted.

Ekans was conscious until Lucario batted a shard at it, making it faint on contact.

"Quick! She's stronger than us Team Flare Grunts! Run!" One of the people shouted, running away.

"Team Flare, huh?" Ash muttered, recognising the name.

"I've heard about them," Korrina said. "They're trying to take everyone's Pokèmon!"

"I've dealt with people like that in the past," Ash told them both. "We shouldn't have to worry about it."

Serena and Korrina nodded as Lucario returned to his original form.

"That was awesome, by the way, Korrina!" Serena said, giving her a friendly hug.

"Thank you," Korrina said, blushing a little. "Lucario did all the work, though."

"That he did," Ash said, rubbing Lucario's shoulder, making him smile a little at the recognition. "You were great, Lucario!"

"T-Thanks," Lucario said, also blushing a little from the attention.

"We should get back to the gym," Korrina said, sighing. "I've enjoyed being with you two."

"Who knows," Serena said. "Maybe we'll come across each other again soon?"

"I hope so," Korrina said, laughing. "Thank you for this. I don't know how I can repay you."

"Just battle with all of your heart," Ash told her. "Use the Mega Stone efficiently."

"I will! I promise!" Korrina exclaimed, pausing for a moment before pulling Ash and Serena into a hug.

After a few moments, she let go, bidding them farewell as she returned Lucario and skated back to Shalour.

"I hope they do well," Serena said, to which Ash agreed.

"And we're just outside of Courmarine," Ash stated, pointing at the end of the route.

* * *

Ash and Serena entered Courmarine city, quickly heading to the Pokèmon Centre.

"I need a good sleep," Ash said, starting to feel exhausted again.

"I do, too, Ash," Serena replied. "But we need to eat, feed our Pokèmon, heal our Pokèmon and shower."

"I know!" He exclaimed, exasperated. "Don't remind me!"

Serena giggled a little, telling Ash to sit down before walking over to Nurse Joy, ready to book the room.

"Of course," Nurse Joy said with a smile as she handed over the keys.

"Thank you," Serena said, taking them before returning to Ash. "Come on, Sleepyhead."

Ash nodded, standing up before following her to their room which just so happened to be the one furthest from the entrance.

"Why?" Ash moaned, annoyed. "Why can't our room be the closest?"

"I think she hates you, or something," Serena said, giggling.

"I can vouch for that," Ash mumbled, only wanting a rest.

"It's only five," Serena said. "You can have a nap if you like."

"I don't know," Ash said. "If I have a nap, I'll wake up and be grumpy."

"I'm always grumpy when I wake up," Serena reminded him. "It's my turn to deal with it."

"I know, but what about other people?" Ash asked as they reached their room, opening the door.

"No-one will care," she said, pushing Ash onto the bed. "Have a nap."

"But-" Ash said, attempting to protest but being interrupted by Serena's lips on his.

"Just nap, Sweetie," she said, giving him a warm smile. "I'll sort the Pokèmon out."

"That's unfair though," Ash said. "You do it all the time!"

"No, I don't," Serena said. "You do it all the time. It's my turn."

Ash sighed, acknowledging that he wouldn't be able to win. "Fine," he said, resting his head on the pillow, deeply grateful that he did a few moments later.

"I'll be back in a minute, Honey," Serena said, grabbing the Pokèmon before leaving the room to get them fed and healed.

"Why is Ash so tired?" Sylveon asked Serena, having been let out of her Pokèball by her a moment before.

"He's been running up and down hills all day," Serena answered her, to which Sylveon face palmed using one of her ribbons.

"I think he needs a cuddle," Serena said, giggling as she watched Sylveon.

"That's your job," Sylveon said, looking Serena in the eye. "It looks comfy, though."

"What do you mean?" Serena asked, confused.

"I sleep on the floor," Sylveon reminded her. "Pikachu's a cutie and snuggles with me, but that's all I get."

Pikachu looked at Sylveon and put a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet which made her and Serena giggle.

"So, Sylveon," Serena started, unsure how to say what she wanted to. "Would you like to sleep with Ash and I tonight?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused as to what Serena meant.

"Would you like to sleep with us tonight?" Serena repeated.

"Cuddles?" Sylveon asked, a little shocked when Serena nodded.

"You said that it looks comfy," Serena reminded her, to which Sylveon nodded.

"Sure, but what about Pikachu?" Sylveon asked, looking at Pikachu.

"I'm not cuddling with Ash, too!" He exclaimed, making Serena and Sylveon giggle.

"Snuggle up to me, then," Sylveon told him, to which Pikachu nodded.

"All right," he said as they walked into the lobby of the Pokèmon centre.

"Excuse me," Serena said to Nurse Joy, gaining her attention. "Could you heal and feed these Pokèmon please?" She asked, placing that Pokèmon on the counter along with the Pokèballs.

"Of course," Nurse Joy said, taking them to the back to be healed and fed.

* * *

A few minutes later, Nurse Joy returned with the Pokèmon, handing them over to Serena.

"Thank you," Serena said, to which Nurse Joy nodded, starting to talk to someone else as Serena left.

"So, cuddles tonight?" Sylveon asked Serena, to which she nodded. "What will Ash think?"

"I'm sure Ash will be okay with it," Serena told her. "You don't need to worry."

"Okay," Sylveon said, bouncing a little as she walked.

Serena, Pikachu and Sylveon returned to the room, opening the door to see that Ash was still asleep.

"Cuddle with him now, if you like," Serena told Sylveon, who nodded before jumping onto the bed, laying down next to Ash before grabbing him with her ribbons. "I need to get ready, anyway," Serena said, walking into the bathroom.

"Wha- What are you doing?" Ash groggily asked Sylveon, confused.

"Your girlfriend said it's okay for me to sleep with you two," Sylveon told him, making Ash more confused.

"Why?" Ash asked, to which Sylveon raised an eyebrow.

"It's more comfortable here than on the floor," she said before continuing. "Besides, if I slept at the foot of the bed, I'd probably fall off. And cuddles are nice, so I asked if I can cuddle with you two."

"Won't Pikachu be lonely without anyone to cuddle with?" Ash asked her, teasing Pikachu a little.

"It's just because I'm cold!" Pikachu exclaimed, making Ash chuckle.

"Yeah, right," he mumbled, making Sylveon giggle a little.

"No," Sylveon said after a moment, answering his question. "He won't get lonely."

"Okay, then," Ash said, deciding that it wouldn't hurt to let Sylveon sleep with him and Serena.

"Okay," Serena said, coming out of the bathroom a few minutes later. "I'm ready."

"All right," Ash said, letting Sylveon let go of him before getting off the bed.

"Are you okay like that?" Serena asked him, to which he nodded. "Okay."

The two of them left the room and headed out to dinner, leaving the Pokèmon behind as they had already eaten.

* * *

Ash and Serena returned, both of them even more tired than they were before thanks to the food.

"I think I might fall into a food coma and never wake up," Ash mumbled to Serena as they entered the room, desiring to head straight to bed but knowing that he had to shower first.

"I think I might, too," Serena said, feeling the same as Ash.

"I still don't believe that we managed to get through that entire route in one day," Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck as he continued to realise how big of a deal that was.

"Isn't it the second longest route?" Serena asked him, to which he nodded.

"The second longest in Kalos," he repeated. "Most people would have to sleep on the way through, but not us, apparently," he said, a mixture of shock and annoyance pulsing through his veins at the fact that it made them so tired.

"I'm going to shower," Serena said, pausing for a second before turning to Ash. "Do I have to shower?"

"You showered before, didn't you?" Ash asked, to which she nodded.

"I did when you were cuddling with Sylveon," Serena replied, to which Ash sighed with happiness before pushing her onto the bed.

"You can sleep now, then," he said, happy. "I'll shower now."

"You seem so happy about that," Serena said, giggling. "It's cute."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Ash and Serena were in bed, wrapped up with each other, Sylveon covering them with her ribbons while Pikachu nuzzled up to her.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! I want to answer a question before I start: Why can everyone talk to Pokémon? The reason why everyone can communicate with Pokémon is that it can strengthen the bond between a trainer and their Pokémon. There's no plot reason, or, at least, not that I can think of, but it's mainly because of that. Also, it would be a little annoying if the trainers tried talking to their Pokémon but couldn't get a response that they'd understand. It's easier to write, that's the main reason why. Anyway, let's get into the chapter!**

* * *

Ash and Serena woke up, knowing they had to get out of bed but not wanting to.

"Should we just stay in bed for a while?" Ash asked Serena, surprising her a little as she was usually the one to ask while Ash urged her to get up.

"Why not?" Serena replied, nuzzling into Ash's chest.

Sylveon and Pikachu hopped off the bed, telling their trainers that they were going to go outside and run a little.

"Okay," Ash and Serena replied, watching them leave before closing their eyes, attempting to go back to sleep.

"How far should we go?" Pikachu asked Sylveon, to which she shrugged.

"We could run out of Courmarine and then back?" She suggested, to which Pikachu nodded, leaving the Pokèmon centre with Sylveon.

The two of them started running toward Route twelve, hoping that it would be enough exercise before their gym battle.

"This is nice," Sylveon commented, feeling her ribbons fluttering in the wind.

"Yeah, it is-" Pikachu said before he felt a pair of hands seize him from the ground.

"Wha- Pikachu!" Sylveon exclaimed, skidding to a halt to see Pikachu struggling, trying to zap the person with electricity, only for it to not affect them.

"I always get electrocuted, you rat," the man said, smirking. "It doesn't affect me. That's one of the perks to being Team Flare's electrician."

"Let go of him!" Sylveon exclaimed, catching the man's attention.

"Why should I listen to a useless fairy?" He said, taking a moment to think before swiftly kicking Sylveon in the side, sending her flying away.

Sylveon landed on the ground, rolling over a little before trying to stand up, succeeding despite the pain. The man's kick showed physical strength that most Pokèmon couldn't.

"Let go of him!" Sylveon repeated, using Swift, sending the sharp stars toward the man, who started to run away.

Some of the stars cut him, but most missed, letting him jump into a car mostly unscathed.

Sylveon started sprinting after the car as soon as it started moving, wincing with every step.

Eventually, Sylveon gave up, memorising the number plate before slowly making her way back to the Pokèmon centre.

* * *

"Back so soon?" Nurse Joy asked Sylveon, confused as to where Pikachu was before noticing Sylveon's limp. "Oh, my!" Nurse Joy acclaimed, rushing over to Sylveon, who collapsed on the floor.

Nurse Joy picked her up before swiftly taking her to the back room to treat her injury, phoning Ash and Serena, asking them to come to the desk.

* * *

When Ash and Serena arrived, confused as to what happened, Nurse Joy explained that Sylveon had come in with an injury.

"Where's Pikachu?" Ash asked, looking around for his Pokèmon, worried.

"They took him," Sylveon said, wincing as speech hurt.

"Who took him?" Serena asked, equally as worried as Ash was.

"Team Flare," Sylveon finished, closing her eyes before falling asleep while Nurse Joy treated her.

Ash and Serena looked at each other, a little scared before they both rushed out of the Pokèmon centre and started asking people if they saw anything.

"No, sorry," one man said. "I just left the house."

"I didn't see anything, either," another said before a woman piped up.

"I did!" She exclaimed, rushing over to Ash and Serena to give details. "I saw a man in red grab a Pikachu and kick a Sylveon before jumping into a car and driving away."

Ash and Serena glanced at each other for a moment before looking back at the woman.

"Which way did the car travel?" Ash asked, to which the woman shrugged.

"A crowd got in the way," she said. "But I do know that it was a white Mercedes-Budew."

"Thank you," Ash said, grabbing Serena's hand before rushing back to Pokèmon centre.

"Sylveon will know which way it went, right?" Serena asked Ash, to which he nodded.

"She should," he told her. "Sylveon's stubborn. She probably followed it for a while.

* * *

They burst into the building to be greeted by Nurse Joy lifting Sylveon onto the desk.

"She's okay," Nurse Joy said, relieved for Ash and Serena.

"Thank you!" Serena replied, rushing over, hugging Sylveon. "I don't believe that arsehole kicked you!"

"Sylveon," Ash started. "This is very important. Which way did the white Mercedes-Budew go?"

"West," she said. "Back towards Route twelve."

"That should be easy to find, then," Serena said, relieved. "There are not many cars parked in between the cities."

Ash nodded, agreeing. "Do you have your Pokèmon with you?" He asked Serena, who nodded, patting her pocket. "Good. We might have to battle people."

"I memorised the number plate," Sylveon said, gaining Ash and Serena's attention.

"Great!" Serena exclaimed. "We'll look out for a white Mercedes-Budew, and if it's the same number plate, we will know it's them."

Ash and Sylveon nodded, following Serena out of the Pokèmon centre and towards Route twelve.

* * *

"Okay," Ash started as they emerged onto the route, looking around. "Where do you think this person would go?"

"Probably a hidden place," Serena said. "Like if there were a lair underneath the ground."

"Where would somewhere like that be?" Ash asked, to which Serena pointed at the ruin they found Lucario's Mega Stone in.

"Somewhere like that," Serena suggested, to which Ash smiled.

"That's a likely place to have a hidden room," Ash muttered, heading over to the ruin with Serena and Sylveon.

As they approached, they noticed a white car hidden behind the house, which was revealed to be a Mercedes-Budew.

"I think this is the place," Serena mumbled, a little scared about what could be waiting for them inside.

They pushed the door open and entered, looking around the room, unable to see anything that seemed linked to Team Flare.

"I think we should look around more thoroughly," Sylveon said, nudging different objects to move them around.

"Where would a hidden door be in a place like this?" Ash asked, to which Serena and Sylveon shrugged.

"It's a small house, so maybe it's a trapdoor that we need to find?" Sylveon suggested, to which Ash and Serena agreed.

Ash sighed, realising that they were going to have to move everything around.

"I say we move this," Sylveon said, nudging a wardrobe in the corner.

"Okay," Ash and Serena said in unison, heading over before grabbing each half of it.

"We should walk it across the floor," Ash told Serena, who nodded.

"I know," she replied, starting to move the wardrobe alongside Ash.

When there was enough space, Sylveon went behind the wardrobe and started pushing, moving it out of the corner completely.

"There's something here!" Sylveon exclaimed, scaring Ash and Serena a little, nearly making the drop the wooden structure.

Both Ash and Serena placed the wardrobe in the middle of the room, heading back to the corner where they saw a handle sticking up and out of the floor.

"I think that this is it," Serena said, making Ash nod.

"How did you guess this was here?" Ash asked Sylveon, who shrugged.

"It just feels like he's close," she replied, to which Ash and Serena looked at each other, smiling.

"You've got a good connection to him," they said in unison, making Sylveon blush a little.

"Shut up!" She exclaimed, hiding her face. "Let's just find Pikachu!"

Ash bent over and grabbed the handle and opened the trap door, revealing a ladder.

"I'll go down first," Ash said to Serena and Sylveon, to which they nodded, watching Ash slowly lower himself down the ladder.

Ash lowered himself onto the floor, calling up to Serena and Sylveon to say that it was safe.

Not even a few seconds later, Ash was greeted by Sylveon landing next to him. Being a Pokèmon, her bones were stronger than humans', so she merely jumped down the hole.

"Come on, Serena!" Ash called up, waiting for Serena to arrive.

"Hold on!" She called back. "I forgot to put my legs down first."

Ash and Sylveon laughed a little before they heard a loud gasp, stopping their giggling.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Serena replied, laughing. "My feet missed the step."

Ash and Sylveon let out a relieved sigh, being joined at the bottom by Serena a few moments later.

"Are you ready to search?" Ash asked Serena and Sylveon, who nodded. "Then let's go."

Ash led the two of them as they made their way down a somewhat narrow hallway, taking note that if they had to run, it would be a challenge.

"I hope that Pikachu's okay," Sylveon said, worried.

"I'm sure he will be," Ash told Sylveon, reassuring her. "We've been in situations worse than this before."

"Like what?" Serena asked, to which Ash laughed.

"So many things have happened over the years," he muttered, chuckling. "Once we had to stop Zapdos, Moltres and Articuno from destroying everything."

"Really?" Serena asked, shocked. Ash had briefly mentioned that he had come in contact with numerous legendaries, but he never told stories.

"Yeah," Ash replied, laughing. "We had to call Lugia to calm them down."

"I wouldn't want anyone else to save the world," Serena said to him, making Ash smile.

* * *

The three of them reached the end of the hallway, emerging into a room filled with test tubes.

"Pikachu!" Serena exclaimed, spotting him tied up inside one of the tubes.

* * *

 **Yes, a cliffhanger. The second one in three chapters. You're welcome. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

"Pikachu!"

Ash, Serena and Sylveon observed the room and Pikachu. There wasn't anyone else in the room, but they felt as if they weren't alone.

Ash rushed over to Pikachu, slamming his fist into the tube.

"That won't work," a voice said, catching everyone's attention.

"Who's there?" Ash asked, jumping back as he grabbed a Pokèball.

"I'm the one who kidnapped, or Pokènapped your Pikachu," he said, walking towards Ash.

"Then give him back!" Serena exclaimed, rushing over.

"It won't be that easy," the man said, releasing a Gogoat.

"I think it will, " Sylveon shouted, attacking the Gogoat with Swift.

"Stupid fairy!" The man exclaimed, commanding the Gogoat to attack back.

While Sylveon and the Gogoat were duking it out, Ash and Serena ran behind the test tube, pulling out every wire they could find in hopes that it would help.

Luckily, one of the wires powered the restraints which bounded Pikachu. When that wire was pulled out, the straps fell free.

"Use Iron Tail on the glass!" Ash exclaimed, to which Pikachu obliged, slamming the glass with his tail repeatedly.

"You won't get through!" The man shouted, sending out another Pokèmon, this time a Weepinbell.

"Hey!" Serena exclaimed. "You're only allowed to use one Pokèmon at a time!"

"Do you think I care?" The man asked, making Serena shrug.

"I guess you don't?" She asked, to which the man nodded.

"Correct!" He said, commanding Weepinbell to attack Ash and Serena.

Ash threw a Pokèball, releasing Frogadier. "Quick!" He shouted. "Use Quick Attack!"

Frogadier obliged, rushing forward and slamming into Weepinbell.

"Keep fighting until I break out!" Pikachu shouted to Ash and Serena, who nodded, focused on the battle.

"Now use Lick!" Ash exclaimed, watching Frogadier attack Weepinbell again.

"Swift!" Serena exclaimed, to which Sylveon used the attack, splitting the stars evenly between Gogoat and Weepinbell.

"Frogadier!" Ash started. "Focus on attacking Gogoat. It's stronger than Weepinbell."

Frogadier nodded as a response, rushing over to Sylveon before jumping off her back and into the air.

"Quick Attack now!" Ash shouted, watching Frogadier zoom through the air and make contact with Gogoat, making it stagger a little before falling over.

"Sylveon! Use Covet!" Serena shouted, to which Sylveon complied with her wishes, attacking Gogoat once more, making it faint.

"Use Lick on Weepinbell!" Ash shouted, to which Frogadier rushed over, attacking Weepinbell.

At that moment, Pikachu's last Iron Tail broke through the strengthened glass, shattering it everywhere.

"Use Thunderbolt on it!" Ash shouted, watching Pikachu jump into the air before sending a bolt of lightning towards Weepinbell, making it faint on contact.

The man nervously returned his Pokèmon, taking a few steps back before an older man rushed out of the hallway.

"Give me back my Pokèmon!" He shouted, pointing at the Team Flare Grunt.

"I told you, old man. Leave me alone!" He retorted, to which Pikachu sparked his cheeks in the man's direction. "Okay!" He shouted, scared. "Take them!"

The man proceeded to toss three Pokèballs in the old man's direction, to which he bent over and picked the three balls up, releasing the Gogoat, Weepinbell and a Jumpluff.

"You didn't fight with your own?!" Serena shouted, bewildered.

The grunt merely shook his head, a little scared of everyone else in the room.

"Did you steal anyone else's Pokèmon?" Ash asked him, to which he shook his head again. "I don't believe you."

The man emptied his pockets, letting a couple more Pokèballs roll onto the floor.

The older man headed over and picked them up, smiling at Ash and Serena.

"Thank you for stopping him," he said. "Are you two collecting the gym badges?"

Ash and Serena nodded, to which the old man clapped his hands together.

"Meet me in my gym as soon as possible, then," he said, revealing that he was the gym leader of Courmarine city.

"We will!" Ash said, watching the man leave. "Now," he said, turning to face the trembling grunt. "What do we do with you?"

* * *

An hour later, Ash and Serena returned to the Pokèmon centre, letting Nurse Joy heal their Pokèmon before they headed to the gym.

"What do you think we wanted?" Serena asked Ash, to which he laughed a little.

"He's probably going to give us gym badges for free as we saved his Pokèmon," Ash told her. "I've done things like this in the past."

"Without a battle?" She asked, to which Ash nodded slowly.

"We half-battled him," he said, laughing. "We beat two of his Pokèmon, so we have technically earned the badges."

After the gym leader had left the hidden laboratory, Ash and Serena had tied the man to a test tube and called the police. Surprisingly, when the police arrived, the man was obedient, letting himself be handcuffed and taken away.

"Here we are," Ash said. "Now, if he doesn't give us badges, leave," he said, laughing.

"No, that's mean," Serena replied, giggling a little.

The two of them proceeded to enter the building, being hastily greeted by the gym leader the second they walked in.

"Thank you again for saving my Pokèmon," he said, shaking Ash and Serena's hand.

"Any time," Ash replied, chuckling. "We went to save Pikachu, and we ended up having to battle your Pokèmon."

"You did?" He asked, a little shocked. "All three of them?"

"No, just two," Serena said, to which the man placed a finger on his chin.

"Well," the gym leader said. "I'm not supposed to do this, but you did save and beat my Pokèmon." With that, he pulled out two gym badges and gave them to Ash and Serena.

"Are you sure?" Serena asked him, to which he nodded.

"Of course! My battle strategy isn't much different to everyone else's, so it would have been like battling me in the first place," he explained, to which Ash and Serena nodded.

"What time is it?" Ash asked Serena, to which she checked, announcing that it was half-past two.

"We should get going, I think," Ash said, to which the gym leader nodded.

"To the next gym, I presume?" He asked, to which Ash and Serena nodded.

"We're going to Lumiose city next," they told him, to which he smiled.

"I love Clemont," he said, chuckling. "He battles so well."

"We're friends with him," Serena said, making the gym leader raise his grey eyebrows.

"Tell him I said "hi," please," he said, to which Ash and Serena nodded.

"We'll be off, then," Ash said, to which the gym leader held out his hand once more.

"Take care," he said as Ash shook it.

"You, too," Ash replied before he and Serena left the gym, waving the man. "What did I tell you?" Ash asked, chuckling a little.

"How did you know that he would give us the badges?" Serena asked, to which Ash shrugged.

"Just a feeling," he said, to which she nodded.

"What's the plan?" She asked, to which Ash shrugged, placing his hands behind his head.

"I think that we should stay here tonight and leave as early as possible," he told her, to which Serena nodded.

"We should train our Pokèmon, too," she said. "I know that all of the Pokèmon on the next route are in their thirties level-wise."

"Okay," Ash said, turning to focus on the walk back to the Pokèmon centre.

* * *

Six hours later, Ash and Serena had finished training all of their Pokèmon. Each of them had levelled up to level thirty-two.

Pikachu didn't learn any new moves, Linoone learned Slash and forgot Fury Swipes, Nidorina forgot Scratch and learned Fury Swipes, Fletchinder learned Razor Wind and forgot Peck, Kirlia forgot Confusion and learned Psychic. No other Pokémon learned anything new. Kirlia had the option to evolve but decided not to as it wished to be a Gallade, something that Ash stood behind.

Ash and Serena entered the Pokèmon centre, sweaty and exhausted.

"Please heal and feed our Pokèmon," Ash said to Nurse Joy, handing his and Serena's Pokèmon over to her.

"Okay," she said, taking the Pokèmon to the back to heal and feed them, leaving Ash and Serena to wait for a minute.

"Should we have dinner here?" She asked, to which Ash nodded.

"I don't think I could survive walking to a restaurant," he told her, to which Serena giggled.

Surprisingly, even though Ash needed years of walking across regions and training with his Pokèmon to get used to the constant exercise, Serena had managed to become just as fit in a month or so since they started their journey.

"Here you are," Nurse Joy told them, handing Ash and Serena their Pokèmon.

"Thanks," they said as Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder.

"Any time," Nurse Joy replied, smiling as they walked over to the restaurant portion of the Pokèmon centre.

* * *

After a warm meal of spaghetti, Ash and Serena walked back to their room, now slightly more energetic after consuming food, but not much more.

Both of them flopped on to their bed, letting Pikachu and Sylveon hop up as well.

"Should we sleep now?" Serena asked Ash, placing her head on his chest, ready to fall into deep slumber.

"No," he said, yawning. "That will ruin our sleep schedule."

"It's seven, now," she replied, pouting. "I'll have a shower in the morning. I promise."

"I don't doubt that you would," Ash said. "But if you shower now, you'll wake up more. Plus, you'll save time tomorrow."

"Will you survive on this bed while I'm in there?" Serena asked, giggling when Ash shrugged.

"I'll pace around the room like I'm nervous for something," he said, making her giggle more. "That should keep me awake."

"It should," Serena repeated. "You might fall asleep while you're standing up."

Ash shrugged. "I'll be surprised if I do," he said as Serena slid off him, pulling her pyjamas out of her bag.

"I'll be as quick as I can," Serena told him, heading into the bathroom.

* * *

She emerged a few minutes later to see Ash pacing around the room as he said he would be doing.

"Go on, Sweetie," Serena said, giggling a little when Ash turned around, relieved that she finally came out.

"Good," Ash said, grabbing some clean underwear from his bag before rushing into the bathroom, hoping that he wouldn't be tired after.

* * *

Not even three minutes later, Ash came out and flopped back on the bed, sliding under the covers, next to Serena.

"Should we sleep now?" Serena asked him, to which Ash sighed.

"I think we should," he muttered, contradicting what he said earlier. "I'm still tired."

"I am, too," Serena said, sliding down and resting her head on Ash's chest.

"Goodnight," Ash said to Serena, who smiled, nuzzling him.

"Night, Ashy," she said. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed this one. I'm not sure how you feel about the different way Ash and Serena acquired their gym badges, but I like it. I decided to make a difference like that as it would add variety to the story. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash felt an odd sensation from his lower body. He couldn't tell what was happening until he opened his eyes, unable to believe what he saw. Somehow, in her sleep, Serena had managed to slide down him and curl up on his lap.

Ash blushed a little, realising what might happen if Pikachu or Sylveon saw them like that. It would most likely result in them getting the wrong idea and teasing him and Serena about it.

"Serena," Ash whispered, shaking her lightly. "Get up, you Skitty."

"Meow," she said, giggling a little when she opened his eyes.

"You don't have to act like a Skitty because I called you one," Ash told her, making Serena giggle a little more.

"I'm a cute, little Skitty," she said, giggling more as she crawled up Ash's body, making him wince in pain a little due to the pressure on his stomach.

"Y-You're not a Skitty," Ash said, lightly shoving her.

Serena seemed to pout a little, sighing. "I just wanted to wake you up in a different way," she told him, sliding off the bed.

"Don't be like that, Serena," Ash said, a little annoyed with himself as he made her feel down.

"Then I can cuddle with you?" She asked, to which Ash nodded, confused.

"Of course, you can!" He said, making Serena's face light up. "Just don't surprise me like that this early in the day."

Serena nodded, clambering back on top of him with a smile plastered on her face.

"Wait," Ash said, realising something. "You were there on purpose?"

Serena nodded, a little embarrassed. "I wanted to set up a funny thing," she said, making Ash blush.

"But," he said, unsure how to word the following the sentence. "You were so close to my- uh- my genitalia?"

"I know," Serena said, sighing. "It was awkward for me, too."

"Were you okay with it?" Ash asked her, to which she looked him in the eyes from his chest, confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked, unsure as to what he meant.

"Were you okay with being there?" Ash repeated, slightly different this time, letting Serena understand what he meant.

"I-I guess," she stuttered, looking away with a blush on her face.

"O-Okay," Ash replied, also blushing, a little embarrassed.

"W-We should get up," Serena said, surprising Ash a little as she never wanted to get up before he did.

"Okay?" Ash said, confused as he watched Serena hop off him and rush into the bathroom, holding her face in her hands.

'I don't know what to do,' Serena thought, sighing as she leaned over the sink. 'I can't tell if he's getting sexual or not. And even if he is, what am I supposed to do? I don't know if I'm ready, but if I am, I want it to be with him.'

Serena was pulled from her thoughts when Ash knocked on the door, startling her. "Are you okay?" He called, to which she nodded without thinking, realising that he couldn't see her nod.

"Of course!" She called back, turning the tap on, letting the luke-warm water run through her fingers.

"Oh, okay," Ash said, starting to throw some clothes on while Serena brushed her teeth.

'I'm so stupid,' Serena thought, looking over at the door for a moment, almost wishing that she had opened it and hugged him. 'He cares about me so much. He wouldn't want anything more unless I say it's okay.'

* * *

Ten minutes later, Ash and Serena left the Pokèmon centre. Both of them had skipped breakfast so that they could make more progress traversing the route.

"How do you think Route Thirteen will be?" Ash asked Serena, who shrugged.

"I've only seen pictures of it, so I'm not sure," she replied, to which Ash face-palmed.

"That isn't what I meant," he said, chuckling. "I meant: Do you think it's going to be long and hard?" He asked, rephrasing the question yet not choosing words that described what he meant very well.

"What?!" Serena exclaimed, looking at him, confused.

"The route," Ash repeated, to which Serena sighed.

"That doesn't help with what I've been thinking," Serena mumbled, too quiet for Ash to hear.

"What?" He asked, confused as to what she said.

"Nothing!" She replied, spinning around to face him while waving her hands in front of her face as if what she said wasn't a big deal.

"Okay?" Ash said, even more confused due to her actions.

"Let's just focus on getting to the route," Serena said, pointing ahead of them as if the route were right there.

"Yeah," Ash said, forgetting the whole ordeal.

Ash and Serena walked onto Route thirteen around eleven-O'clock, taking their time to plan what they were going to do.

"When should we have lunch?" Serena asked, grabbing her empty stomach with a little wince as it grumbled.

"Twelve?" Ash asked, to which Serena nodded, still bent over, obviously uncomfortable.

"O-Okay," she said, standing up straight while trying to ignore the discomfort.

* * *

The two of them continued to walk, wasting no time to stop and look at anything. When Ash noticed that it was five-past-twelve, he and Serena sat down.

"C-Can we eat now?" Serena asked, to which Ash nodded, ruffling her hair a little bit as she lay her head on his lap.

"Have a drink of water for now," Ash told her, handing her a bottle, to which Serena took the bottle and gleefully sipped its contents.

Ash opened his bag and pulled out a bag of ready-sliced bread along with some butter, ham and a knife.

He quickly put together a sandwich before cutting it in half and handing one of the halves to Serena.

"Sandwiches have never tasted so good," Serena mumbled, smiling as she enjoyed the food.

As soon as Ash had finished his sandwich, he instantly made another, cutting it in half and handing one half to Serena as she finished her first.

"What about us?" Pikachu asked, pointing at himself and Sylveon while Ash stuffed his whole half into his mouth.

Ash chuckled, apologising for forgetting about their food as he pulled out two bowls and filled them with Pokèmon food.

"Here you go," he said, handing Sylveon and Pikachu a bowl each.

"Good," Pikachu said, shoving his head into the bowl before eating as much as possible in the shortest amount of time.

"I don't understand why you two don't have stomach aches after you eat that fast," Serena said, giggling a little.

"Yeah!" Sylveon exclaimed. "You eat like it's the first food you've had in years!"

"If we didn't eat food in years, we'd be dead," Ash said, to which Sylveon shrugged.

"You know what I mean," she said as she went back to her food.

* * *

As soon as Ash and Serena finished eating, they decided that they were going to go about their usual routine a little different. Instead of packing everything away and continuing to traverse the route, Ash suggested that they could pack everything and lay in the blistering heat for a bit.

"That sounds great!" Serena exclaimed, overjoyed that she wouldn't have to start walking again for a little longer.

"I thought you'd like that idea," Ash said, chuckling before he reached over and grabbed Serena's hand, leaning back on the messy mixture of red sand and rock.

"I-It's a little uncomfortable over here," Serena said, wincing as she lay her head on a pointed rock which stuck out of the ground with the intent to injure.

"Come here, then," Ash said, lightly tugging on Serena's hand, trying to pull her closer to him.

"Okay," Serena said, cheery as she scooted over towards Ash, laying next to him with her head on his chest.

Ash wrapped his left arm around Serena's shoulders, making her smile at the warm, cosy feeling that unlocked in her nerves.

"You like cuddling with me, don't you?" Ash asked, to which Serena giggled a little.

"Of course," she replied before nodding in the direction of Pikachu and Sylveon. "They like cuddling, as well," she said, making Ash look over to see that they were indeed snuggled up under the sun.

Ash chuckled a little before he planted a kiss on Serena's forehead. He stroked her hair a little, making her smile and nuzzle the left side of his chest, subconsciously counting Ash's heartbeat.

"Buh dum," Serena said, giggling a little as she tried to imitate the sound of Ash's heartbeat.

Ash looked down at Serena with a confused look on his face. "I don't know how things like that amuse you," he muttered, chuckling.

"It makes you laugh, too!" Serena said, smiling at Ash as he sighed.

"I laughed at you laughing at my heartbeat," Ash replied, to which Serena giggled more. "That doesn't mean that my heart amuses me."

Serena giggled more, itching her nose before nuzzling Ash again as he continued.

"I don't sit around in my own time while giggling at the thing keeping my blood pumping."

Serena, now having giggled for around half a minute straight, completely lost it. She burst out laughing, scaring a few of the wild Pokémon in the surrounding area. She also gave Ash a fright which jolted him back, in turn making Serena fall off his chest and onto the sandy ground.

"S-Sorry!" Serena exclaimed, snorting as she attempted to stop laughing.

Ash started laughing a little, commenting that she sounded like a Grumpig, which would usually make Serena pout and whine, but, instead, she giggled more and snorted again.

Pikachu and Sylveon, hearing everything going on behind them, decided to turn around and look at the chaos, making them laugh as they watched Ash and Serena giggle.

"They're idiots, aren't they?" Pikachu said, shaking his head a little.

"They always will be," Sylveon added, sighing before turning around again and squeezing Pikachu. "Ignore them. I want to cuddle."

* * *

Three hours later, by the time half-past three rolled around, Ash, Serena, Sylveon and Pikachu rocked up to Lumiose city, quickly heading over to the Pokémon centre to heal their beloved monsters.

"Serena," Ash started, making her look over at him.

"Yes?" She asked, confused as to what he was going to say next.

"For a change, and seeing as we have the option, shall we stay in a real hotel for the time we're here?" He asked, to which Serena instantly nodded, grabbing his arm and resting her head on Ash's shoulder.

"I was going to suggest that, but I realised that it would be a bother," Serena said, smiling a little.

"It wouldn't be a bother," Ash said, pulling her close. "Otherwise I'd be bothering myself."

Serena giggled a little before Nurse Joy handed them their Pokémon. "There's a nice hotel down the road," she told them, having overheard their conversation. "It doesn't cost a lot, but it's a great experience."

"You could advertise hotels for a living, Nurse Joy," Ash said, laughing a little, making both her and Serena giggle a little.

"I prefer helping Pokémon, myself," she replied, scratching her nose a little before smiling and proceeding to help the next person.

Ash and Serena left the Pokémon centre before heading down the road to the hotel that Nurse joy mentioned. They entered and acquired a room, thanking the receptionist. They both went to their room and dropped off their bags.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! I received a review which said that I should add more detail. As you can tell, there's extra detail in this portion. I have listened! I merely wanted to point out that fact. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena left their room a few minutes later. Serena had an idea. She wasn't sure whether or not Ash would be on board with this idea, but she decided to vocalise it anyway.

"Ash," Serena said, tugging on his arm to make him look at her as they made their way down the stairs.

"Hm?" Ash murmured, looking over at her. Serena changed her eyes, making them as large and as cute as she possibly could before she asked her question.

"Could we please go shopping?" She asked, staring at Ash. Ash chuckled before nodding.

"Of course," he said, to which Serena smiled, abruptly grabbing Ash's arm and giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Really?" Serena asked, shocked, expecting Ash to be joking around. He had previously said to her while he was travelling in Unova that he "didn't like spending time in shops." He had told her this while Iris was dragging him around a few shops.

"Yes," Ash said, kissing her forehead and squeezing her. "Anything you want."

"But you don't like shopping," Serena reminded Ash, to which he shrugged.

"This is the first time you asked," Ash said. "Plus, you're my girlfriend. I don't want to upset you by saying no."

"I wouldn't get upset, Ashy," Serena replied, giggling at the silly idea. "If you don't want to do something, then we won't do it. That's how you feel, as well!"

"I know that you would get upset," Ash said, stroking her hair. "You're a baby in a human's body!"

Serena pouted, annoyed. The two of them had reached the ground floor. Without another word, Serena grabbed Ash's hand and dragged him through the hotel lobby and out of the door, leading him across the road to a shopping centre that she had initially seen on the way into the hotel.

"How big is this place?!" Ash exclaimed, shocked as he looked at the three floors above his head. The building had three levels, with each shop surrounding the edge of the structure. Each floor had a square hole in the centre, leaving an area to look up.

"I want to look at clothes first," Serena said, dragging Ash over towards the escalators.

"Of course you do," Ash sighed, Pikachu mimicking his actions from Ash's shoulder.

* * *

Ash and Serena made their way around various shops, Serena, of course, buying a load of clothes, jewellery and make-up, forcing Ash to carry as many bags as he could before she finally took some time to rest, letting Ash's arms also rest.

"You're evil," Ash sighed, exhausted. "I have to carry all of this back to the hotel as well?"

Serena giggled, shaking her head. "Mum's in Lumiose," she said. "I'm going to have her take them back to Vaniville in her car."

"Wha- Since when has Grace been here?" Ash asked, shocked by how sudden he learned of this fact.

"She has to do some work here," Serena said, leaning back. "She texted me to say."

"Why didn't you say anything about it to me?" Ash asked, tired and confused.

"I forgot to," she replied, shrugging. "It's not like that matters, anyway," she said, grabbing Ash's arm before pulling him up.

Ash groaned. "Come on!" He exclaimed. "Not more shopping!"

"You're right, actually," Serena said, giggling at Ash's restraints to shopping. "We need dinner."

"What time is it?" Ash asked, pulling out his phone, only to see that it was half-past six. "Crikey!"

"I know," Serena muttered. "Time flies when you're having fun."

"Time also flies while being tortured," Ash mumbled, making Pikachu burst out laughing while Serena shook her head, a smile on her face.

"There's a café over there," Serena said, pointing at a small area in the shopping centre.

"I need food," Ash said, rushing towards it, letting Serena be dragged around for a change.

"Stop running so much!" Serena exclaimed, finding it unbelievable that Ash could run so fast while carrying three bags!

Ash stopped moving as he reached the café, Serena stopped next to him, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"What would you like to eat?" Ash asked Serena, who shrugged, taking a moment to look over the menu which resided above the counter.

"I'm not sure," she said, squinting a little as she tried to read the prices that were in a tiny font.

"I can hardly read that, either," Ash said, noticing Serena's struggles. "We should go closer, I think."

As they both walked closer to the counter, they spotted a familiar tuft of curly, light blonde hair.

"Is that... Clemont?" Serena asked, pointing the person out to Ash, unsure.

"I think so," Ash replied, chuckling a little as he tried to figure out if it was Clemont or not.

Sure enough, he turned and looked down at someone else who was substantially shorter than him. The crowd moved a little, and Ash and Serena could make out Bonnie stood next to Clemont.

"Yeah," Ash started. "That is Clemont and Bonnie."

They both continued to look for a moment before approaching them, tapping Clemont on the shoulder.

"Hey, Buddy!" Ash said as Clemont turned around to see who tapped him.

"Ash?" Clemont asked, confused as he didn't expect to come across him so soon. "Serena?"

"Yeah," Serena said. "It's us!" She finished, giggling a little when Bonnie squealed with joy and clamped onto Serena's leg, restricting her movement as she hugged her honey-haired friend.

"I'm so happy to see you again!" Bonnie squealed, nuzzling Serena's waist which was head-height for her.

"When was the last time we saw you?" Ash asked Clemont, who chuckled a little as he was still trying to overcome the shock.

"When we went to see Sycamore," Clemont replied, rubbing his arm a little. "That was less than a month ago!"

"I know," Ash said, laughing. "We've managed to beat the first four gyms already."

"In less than a month?" Bonnie asked, looking up at Serena instead of Ash, expecting her to answer for her boyfriend.

Serena nodded, giggling a little when both Clemont and Bonnie's faces had shock written all over them.

"Has Serena been dragging you around?" Clemont asked, noticing the three bags that Ash was holding.

Ash nodded, sighing. "We've been here for about an hour and a half," he muttered, to which Clemont sighed.

"We have, too," he said. "I don't have to carry the bags, though."

"How come?" Ash asked, noticing that he indeed wasn't holding anything.

"Bonnie has so little money that my backpack has enough space to hold everything she buys," Clemont replied, laughing a little.

Bonnie looked over at Clemont and pouted, giving him a light kick on his leg. "I don't have a job as you do," she said. "I only have pocket money."

"I know," Clemont said, rubbing where Bonnie's foot made contact with his leg.

"What would you like?" The dinner lady asked Clemont, reaching over the counter before tapping him on his shoulder to gain his attention.

Clemont span around, grabbing Bonnie before pulling her next to him. "Spaghetti," Clemont said, turning to Bonnie. "What about you?"

"I want Lasagna!" Bonnie told her, gleefully, turning away and looking at Ash and Serena, smiling.

"Are you two Italian today, or something?" Ash asked them, making Serena and Bonnie giggle a little while Clemont paid no attention.

"Yep," Bonnie replied, grabbing Clemont's hand. "Come on!" She exclaimed. "Let's go and get a table!"

Clemont nodded, following Bonnie as the dinner lady gave the cooks Clemont and Bonnie's orders. A few moments later, she turned back to Ash and Serena. "What do you want?" She asked, substantially less polite than she was with Clemont and Bonnie.

"I-I'll have a roast dinner," Serena stuttered, taken aback by the dinner lady's sudden rudeness.

"I'll take the beef curry," Ash said, to which the dinner lady nodded and gave the cooks their orders, quickly shooing Ash and Serena off.

"Why was she so rude?" Serena whispered to Ash, glancing back at the dinner lady to see that she was acting mean to other people as well.

"I don't know," Ash whispered back, sighing before Clemont and Bonnie called them over to their table.

"Sit with us," Bonnie said, grabbing Serena's hand before pulling her into a seat.

"Okay," Serena said, giggling a little as she gave in to Bonnie's cuteness.

"I guess I have no other choice, now," Ash said, chuckling as he sat down next to Clemont.

"You don't want to sit with us?" Bonnie asked, pouting. "That's so mean!"

Ash laughed a little along with Clemont and Serena. "Of course I want to sit with you," Ash told her, reaching over the table to ruffle her hair a little. "It's just an expression."

"Yeah," Clemont said, unable to think of anything else to say despite wanting to say something.

"So," Serena started. "Have you two done anything since we last saw you?" She asked, to which Clemont shrugged.

"We haven't done much, really," he said, mumbling something else that was indistinguishable.

"I met a new friend!" Bonnie exclaimed, catching Ash and Serena's attention.

"Oh," Serena said. "What's their name?" She asked, giving Bonnie all of her attention.

"His name is Max," Bonnie said, lightly kicking her legs underneath the table.

"What does he look like?" Serena asked. "Is he cute?" She asked, nudging Bonnie a little while smirking, making Bonnie pout and blush.

"A-A little," she replied. "He has short, dark blue hair and big glasses," she said. "He's quite nerdy," she said.

Ash looked a little shocked, thinking that Bonnie was talking about one of his friends. Ash, however, brushed it off, rationalising that it couldn't be him. He lived in Hoenn, after all!

* * *

The following two hours were full of Ash and Serena catching up with Clemont and Bonnie. They spoke about everyday things, told stories, embarrassing or not. It was when eight-o-clock rolled around that they decided to part ways for the day.

"I'm tired," Bonnie said, hugging Clemont's arm, trying not to fall asleep.

"We should go home, I think," Clemont said, patting Bonnie on the head before he gave Ash and Serena a silent wave as they stood up.

"See you tomorrow," Ash said, waving back before Clemont and Bonnie walked away to pay for their food.

"We should go back to our hotel, too," Serena said, grabbing Ash's hand and pulling him off the chair.

"Okay," he said, also heading over to the counter to pay for their food, returning to Serena a minute later.

* * *

An hour later, Ash and Serena were laying in bed in their hotel. Serena had her head resting on Ash's chest, lightly nuzzling him every few seconds.

"Serena," Ash started, gaining her attention. "Please don't wake me up with Skitty ears again."

Serena giggled a little, looking up at him. "I won't," she said. "I just did it as a joke."

"I hope you did," Ash mumbled, chuckling a little.

The two of them felt the weight at the end of the bed shift a little as Sylveon moved, pulling Pikachu closer to her despite being asleep.

"Sylveon and Pikachu are cute," Serena said, looking over at Sylveon and Pikachu for a moment.

"They're not as cute as you are," Ash whispered into Serena's ear, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Stop it," Serena said, giggling a little before pulling him into a kiss.

"I won't stop if that's how I get rewarded," Ash whispered, making Serena blush.

"I-I think we should sleep," Serena said, feeling her entire face go red.

"Goodnight, Sweetie," Ash said, making Serena blush more.

"G-Goodnight, Handsome," she responded, making Ash smile.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! I've been trying to include more Amourshipping moments in the story, as you may have been able to tell. I hope that's satisfying for you! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena woke up at ten-o-clock in the morning. Ash was thankful that Serena didn't wake him up while acting like a Skitty, something that he expressed to Serena, making her giggle.

"What are we doing after the gym?" Serena asked Ash, to which he shrugged.

"I'm not sure," he said, looking around the room as he attempted to think about what they could do.

Ash scanned the room as he got dressed before his eyes fell on the pile of bags in the corner of the room. "I know what we can do," Ash told Serena, who looked over at him before following his gaze to the bags.

"We need to give those to Mum, don't we?" Serena said, realising that they didn't do it the day before because of the run-in they had with Clemont and Bonnie.

"She's still in Lumiose, right?" Ash asked, to which Serena nodded.

"She's here for the next few days," she said. "I think she's driving here every morning and going back to Vaniville every night."

"Where is she working?" Ash asked, to which Serena gave him the location. "Should we take these to her straight away?" Ash asked. "Then we can go to the gym."

Serena nodded, happy with the plan before she threw her clothes on and grabbed her Pokéballs, urging Ash to do the same.

"We'll feed our Pokémon and get breakfast," she said as Ash grabbed his Pokémon. "Then we can come back here and get the clothes."

"Okay," Ash said, heading to the door before opening it and leaving with Serena.

Both of them made their way down the stairs and out of the door, heading down the street to the Pokémon centre.

"Welcome to the Pokémon centre," Nurse Joy called out to Ash and Serena. "Or should I say: Welcome back."

"Hey," Ash said, walking up to the desk with Serena before he placed his Pokéballs on the desk, Serena doing the same. "Could you feed our Pokémon please?"

"Of course," Nurse Joy said, taking the Pokémon to the back room for a few minutes before returning with them. "How's the hotel?" She asked as she handed Ash and Serena their Pokémon.

"It's great, actually," Serena said, to which Nurse Joy gave her a warm smile.

"I'm glad," she said. "Have you two eaten?" She asked, to which Ash and Serena shook their heads in unison. "You can eat here if you like."

"Thank you," Ash said, smiling at Nurse Joy before he and Serena entered the Pokémon centre's café.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Ash and Serena left the Pokémon centre, satisfied with the food they had eaten.

They entered the hotel and quickly raced up to their room, grabbing the bags of clothes before leaving again, heading to where Serena said that her mother was working.

"It's down here?" Ash asked Serena, to which she nodded.

"That building," she said, pointing at a five-storey tall building.

"What does she do?" Ash asked, to which Serena shrugged.

"She used to be a Rhyhorn racer, as you know, but I'm not sure what she does now," she said, realising that she didn't know many details about her mother.

"Probably something in an office," Ash said. "That seems likely as the building looks like it houses offices."

"Probably," Serena said as they entered the building.

"Hello," the receptionist said, greeting Ash and Serena. "What can I do for you?"

"We're looking for Grace Yvonne," Serena told her, to which the receptionist nodded.

"The owner?" She asked, typing something on her computer.

"I'm not sure," Serena said. "She's my mother, but her work never came into the conversation."

"There's only one Grace Yvonne," the receptionist said, shaking her head a little with a smile. "She isn't here often, anyway."

After that, she picked up a phone and said that there were "two teenagers waiting for Grace Yvonne."

* * *

A few minutes later, Serena's mother came out of the lift, smiling when she saw Serena before giving her and Ash a hug.

"Why are you two here?" Grace asked them, to which Serena blushed a little.

"It's a stupid reason," she said, unwilling to tell her mother.

"Go on," Grace said, trying to urge Serena to tell her.

"Serena bought too many clothes for us to carry around the region," Ash told her, to which Grace looked a little bit shocked before she burst out laughing.

"You want me to take them back to Vaniville?" Grace asked Serena, to which she nodded, pouting. "Of course," she said. "I'll do that now."

"Thank you," Ash said, looking at Serena, who refused to talk.

"Follow me to my car," Grace said, still giggling. "We'll put them all in there for now."

"Okay," Ash and Serena said in unison before they tailed Grace to the car park, making their way to her car.

Grace looked over to Ash and Serena, noticing that Serena had a few Pokéballs poking out of her pocket. "What Pokémon do you have, Serena?" Grace asked, catching Serena's attention.

"I have a Braixen, Sylveon, Linoone, Vivillon, Nidorina and a Roselia," Serena told her, to which Grace raised her eyebrows.

"I haven't seen a Sylveon in person before," Grace said, Serena catching the hint.

"Would you like to meet her?" Serena asked her mother, to which she nodded.

Serena pulled out Sylveon's Pokéball and released her, Grace observing the Fairy-type closely.

"Beautiful," Grace muttered.

"Yes?" Ash asked, making everyone laugh due to him acting as if she called him "beautiful."

"She looks very healthy," Grace said, smiling at Sylveon to which she smiled back.

"Serena does take good care of her Pokémon," Ash stated, to which Grace nodded nonchalantly.

Serena returned Sylveon to her Pokéball as everyone walked up to Grace's car.

Grace unlocked the car, letting Ash and Serena put the three bags in the boot before Grace shut it and locked it.

"Your clothes are safe now, Sweetie," Grace said to Serena, pulling her cheeks a little, trying to embarrass her.

"Shut up," Serena whined, pouting before grabbing Ash's arm, unwilling to let go.

"I should get back to work, you two," Grace said, giggling a little at how childish Serena was acting.

"Okay," Ash said. "Thank again!"

"Anytime," Grace replied, starting to walk back to the building before she turned back around. "I'll be your clothing transport forever, Serena!" She called, making Serena blush and pout again.

"Come on," Serena said, dragging Ash out of the car park. "Let's go and see Clemont in the gym."

* * *

Ash and Serena walked up to Lumiose city's gym, excited to see how Clemont would battle. Ash battled him when they went to the Kalos Summer Camp, but that was a while ago. Clemont had improved since then.

"I wonder what Pokèmon he'll use," Serena stated, curious.

"This is an Electric-type gym," Ash said, looking over at a sign which stated what Ash said.

"Then I'll battle with Braixen," Serena said, making Ash and Pikachu excited. Serena hadn't used Braixen a lot for battles. They assumed that she didn't want Braixen to get badly hurt. She was Serena's starter, after all.

"I'll battle with Kirlia," Ash said, to which Pikachu sighed. "I'm sorry, Pikachu," Ash started. "You can battle a gym leader soon, I promise."

Pikachu nodded, accepting that he had done a lot of battling when he and Ash travelled through the other regions.

Ash and Serena walked into the building, taking a moment to realise that they were in what looked like a reception area.

"What's this?" Ash asked, confused as he inspected the room.

"I don't know," Serena said, walking over to a lift that sat in the corner of the somewhat bare room.

Serena looked at the buttons which were labelled. One said "pool," another said "living quarter" with "private" written next to it. The final button was labelled "gym."

"Come here, Ash," Serena said, to which Ash complied, walking over to the lift as Serena pressed the button, opening the doors.

They both stepped in before the doors slammed shut and the lift flew into the air.

"W-What's happening?" Serena asked, clutching onto Ash in an attempt not to fall over.

"Did you see how big this building is?" Ash asked her, to which she nodded. "This is probably so it doesn't take a millennium to reach the top of the tower."

"The gym's at the top?" Serena replied, shocked when Ash nodded.

"There was a layout of the building on the wall," Ash told her. "It showed the gym at the very top."

Both Ash and Serena started to feel a little nauseous by the time the lift stopped at the top of the building. They stepped out as soon as the doors opened and leaned against the wall.

"That was so fast," Serena said, catching her breath.

"Look at this, Serena," Ash said, walking over to the window before stopping to observe the view.

Serena slowly walked over there, peering out of the window to see the beautiful sight that was Lumiose city from above.

The two of them stood in silence for a moment, Pikachu remembering when he fell off the building, something that he reminded Ash about.

"Oh, yeah!" Ash said, chuckling a little. "I forgot that happened."

"I still hate that it happened," Serena mumbled, to which Ash looked at her.

"If that didn't happen, we wouldn't have met again so soon after I landed," Ash told her. "Plus, I would never have met Professor Sycamore at that time and learned about the camp."

"Then we would never have met Clemont and Bonnie," Serena said, forgetting that Clemont was the gym leader.

"Maybe we would have never come on this journey, too," Ash suggested, making Serena look at him, upset by the idea.

"Hey, guys!" A voice came from behind Ash, Serena and Pikachu.

They spun around to see Clemont coming out of the lift, unaffected due to using it every day.

"Hi," Ash said, enthusiastically, forgetting what he and Serena had discussed. "Ready for our battle?"

"You know it," he replied, laughing a little. "Follow me."

Clemont led Ash and Serena through a door that opened to reveal a battlefield and stands.

Clemont walked over to one side of the battlefield while Ash and Serena decided who would battle first, deciding that Serena would battle first Clemont and his Pokémon first.

"Ready?" The referee asked, to which both Serena and Clemont nodded as soon as they were in position. "Begin!"

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

"Begin!" The referee shouted, signalling that the battle had started.

"Go, Braixen!" Serena exclaimed, throwing Braixen's Pokéball, releasing her starter onto the battlefield.

"Go, Magneton!" Clemont shouted, throwing his Magneton's Pokéball.

"Braixen, use Flame Charge!" Serena shouted, to which Braixen obliged, pulling the sick out of her tail before waving it a little, sending bright, orange light toward Magneton as Braixen flew forward, slamming into the opposing Pokémon.

Magneton staggered upon impact as the move was powerful and super-effective.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Clemont exclaimed, to which Magneton nodded, straightening up before sending a giant bolt of electricity down from the ceiling at Braixen.

Braixen didn't bother to wait for a command from Serena. She leapt to the side, avoiding the bolt of lightning.

"Use Ember!" Serena exclaimed, to which Braixen fired a small ball of fire towards Magneton.

The ember hit the left side of Magneton, warming the metal which distracted it.

Serena took the opportunity to attack again, commanding Braixen to use Psybeam, which she did, damaging Magneton enough to finish it with one more move.

Clemont, however, wasn't ready to lose. He noticed an opening to attack once Braixen had finished her attack.

"Magneton! Use Thunderbolt now!" Clemont exclaimed, pointing at the exact are that he wanted Magneton to hit; Braixen's chest.

Magneton spun around a little as it charged an attack before it stopped as it fired the bolt of electric, striking Braixen in her chest, sending her flying back into the wall.

"Braixen!" Serena exclaimed, worried about her starter. "Are you okay?!"

Braixen nodded, sliding down the wall before slowly clambering back onto her feet, ready to attack once more before she would likely faint.

"Finish this, Braixen!" Serena said, turning back to face Clemont and Magneton. "Use Flame Charge!"

Braixen nodded, waving her wand a little before launching bright, orange light at Magneton as Braixen flew forward again, slamming into it as she had done so before.

Magneton floated a little, dazed before it slammed into the ground as Braixen landed on her left knee, narrowly maintaining consciousness.

"Magneton is unable to battle," the referee announced. "Braixen is the winner!"

Serena smiled as she ran over to Braixen spraying her with a potion that she hastily fished out of her bag while Ash made his way over to the victor of the battle.

"Well done, Sweetheart," Ash congratulated, making Serena's smile widen a little.

"Thanks," Serena replied, giving him a little hug to celebrate the success.

"That was impressive, Serena," Clemont commented, adjusting his glasses a little as he returned his fainted Magneton and handed it to the referee, who took it to a separate section of the tower to heal it.

"Thanks, Clemont," Serena said, giggling a little as Bonnie rushed into the room, screaming that Serena was incredible. "How did you see the battle, Bonnie?" Serena asked her. "You arrived just now."

"There's a window in our living quarters that shows the battlefield," Bonnie explained. "It's there so that I can watch the battles without having to go down the stairs or the lift."

"I don't trust Bonnie going downstairs, you see," Clemont said, catching the attention of everyone. "She's very energetic and clumsy, so I'm afraid of her slipping and hurting herself."

"There are stairs?" Ash asked, confused as neither he nor Serena had noticed any stairs at the entrance.

Clemont nodded as a response. "The entrance to the stairs is behind a locked door at the back of the tower," he said. "We legally need to have stairs here in the case of a fire which could prevent the lift from functioning."

Ash and Serena nodded, understanding. "What time is it?" Ash asked, his stomach growling.

"It's half-past eleven," Serena said, confused as to why Ash was so hungry. "We had breakfast a little over an hour ago."

"We didn't eat much," Ash pointed out, holding his stomach in discomfort. "Besides, you know I'm always hungry."

Serena nodded, knowing that what Ash said was true. "Why don't we go and get some lunch early?" Serena suggested, to which Ash nodded, happy with the suggestion.

"Could we come, too?" Clemont asked Ash and Serena, also clutching his stomach. "I didn't have breakfast this morning."

Ash and Serena nodded, chuckling a little before they grabbed Clemont and Bonnie, dragging them away from the gym.

* * *

The four of them entered a café, walking over to the line that was located next to the register, joining it before they looked at the menu that stood behind the counter.

"What are we all having?" Ash asked, turning to face Serena, Clemont and Bonnie.

"I'll have a sandwich," Serena said, smiling at Ash in hopes that wouldn't tease her for being boring.

"Okay," Ash said, looking over at Clemont and Bonnie. "What about you two?"

"I'll have a chicken wrap," Clemont said, looking down at Bonnie, who nodded.

"Me too!" She exclaimed, getting a little excited for food.

"Okay," Ash said, nodding as he and the others reached the register in the line.

Ash gave the girl at the counter his, Serena's, Clemont and Bonnie's orders, declaring to the others that he would pay for all the food, making Clemont and Serena protest a little.

"I'll pay for Bonnie and me," Clemont told Ash, to which he shook his head.

"I'll pay for myself, Ash," Serena said, to which Ash shook his head again.

"It would be easier for me to pay for everything," Ash told them, to which they shrugged, realising that he was right but still not willing to let Ash pay for everything.

"Do you have a coin?" Clemont asked Ash, making him a little confused. "We can flip a coin to see who pays."

Ash shook his head with a smirk, waving his credit card at Clemont and Serena. He scanned it with the card reader, successfully paying for everything.

The girl at the counter giggled a little as she watched Clemont and Serena protest again, complaining that it wasn't fair on Ash for him to pay for everything.

"We'll have your order done soon," she told Ash, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie, to which they nodded before going to sit down at a table.

"What are we doing about your gym battle, Ash?" Serena asked him, to which Clemont piped up instead of Ash.

"We can go back to the gym after this and have the battle," he told her, to which Ash nodded.

"Food is more important than gym badges," Ash told Serena, shocking her a little.

"You normally put your journies before your well-being," Serena told him to which Ash sighed.

"I need to eat if I'm going to be able to carry on with our journey," Ash told her, to which Serena sighed, smacking herself in the face with the palm of her hand.

"I'm stupid," Serena muttered, making the others laugh as someone came over to their table, handing them their food.

"Thank you," they all said in unison before hastily devouring their food.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Ash, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie returned to the gym, getting in the lift which sent them flying to the top.

They headed to the battlefield. Serena and Bonnie went to the stands while Ash and Clemont took their positions at their side of the field.

The referee entered the room, heading over to Clemont before handing him his fully healed Magneton.

"Thanks," Clemont said, pocketing the Pokéball before pulling out another one. "Are you ready Ash?"

Ash nodded, pulling out Kirlia's Pokéball, releasing him onto the battlefield.

Clemont sent out a Heliolisk, looking over at the referee, signalling that they were ready to start the battle.

"Begin!" The referee shouted, signalling that the battle had started.

"Kirlia!" Ash started, grabbing his attention, eager to start the battle. "Use Psychic!"

Kirlia nodded, placing both of his hands onto his head before he sent a wave of energy towards Heliolisk, making it bend over in pain as it clutched its temples.

"Heliolisk!" Clemont exclaimed, worried. "Counter it with Thunderbolt!"

Heliolisk opened its mouth and leaned forwards, emitting a bolt of lightning that fired directly at Kirlia.

Kirlia jumped above the electricity, something that Ash and Serena had taught their Pokémon to do.

"Use Magical Leaf!" Ash shouted, to which Kirlia obliged, throwing multiple leaves at Clemont's Heliolisk in the same way you would throw a frisbee.

Each leaf made contact with Heliolisk, battering it a little, some leaves even going into its mouth as it was still adjacent due to attacking with Thunderbolt.

"Use Quick Attack!" Clemont commanded, to which Heliolisk complied with his wishes, rushing towards Kirlia who had landed on the ground a few moments after Heliolisk stopped using Thunderbolt.

Heliolisk made contact with Kirlia, who was sent back a little before Ash told him to use Disarming Voice, forcing Heliolisk away from him by a few metres.

"Now use Psychic again!" Ash exclaimed, to which Kirlia obliged, sending another wave of energy towards Heliolisk which made contact and forced it to faint.

"Heliolisk is unable to battle!" The referee declared. "Kirlia is the winner!" He concluded.

Kirlia turned around and ran to Ash, giving him a high-five while Serena headed over.

"Well done, you two!" She exclaimed, hugging Ash.

"Thanks," Ash replied, smiling at his victory.

"That was a good battle, Ash," Clemont said, chuckling a little while he walked over to him and Serena.

Clemont pulled two gym badges out of his pocket before he handed one to Ash and the other to Serena.

"You've earned these," Clemont said, smiling as he returned his Heliolisk and handed its Pokéball to the referee.

"Thanks, Buddy," Ash said, putting the badge away before he noticed Bonnie heading over to them.

"When will we see you again?" She asked Ash and Serena, who shrugged.

"You'll probably see us in the league," he told her, ruffling her hair.

"Okay," Bonnie said, a little sad that she wouldn't see her friends for a while.

"We should go," Serena told Clemont and Bonnie, to which they nodded.

"We'll see you soon," Ash told them, making them nod again before he and Serena left the gym.

"It's only twelve-o'clock," Serena said as they started walking back to Pokémon centre. "Why don't we walk around Lumiose for a bit after we heal our Pokémon?"

Ash nodded, agreeing with her idea before they entered the Pokémon centre.

* * *

Five minutes later, they emerged from the Pokémon centre and decided to walk down a random boulevard.

"Ash," Serena said, shaking his arm. "Could we go in there?" She asked, pointing at a shop.

"Sure," Ash said, looking at the sign. "Evolutionary stones?"

Serena nodded. "We could evolve some of our Pokémon if we buy some stones," she said, making Ash's eyes light up.

"That's a good point," he said, leading her into the small shop.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! I hope you guys like it. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena look around the shop, gazing at the different evolutionary stones.

"Which stones will we need to evolve each of our Pokémon that require stones to evolve?" Serena asked Ash, to which he spent a second thinking before he replied.

"One Shiny Stone, one Dawn Stone and two Moon Stones," Ash told her, to which Serena nodded, grabbing the stones that Ash listed.

"Is that it?" Serena asked him, to which Ash nodded.

They bought the stones and left the shop, deciding that they were going to head to Route thirteen to evolve their Pokémon.

* * *

Ash and Serena walked onto Route thirteen, releasing all of their Pokémon so they could all witness what was about to happen.

"What's going on?" Sylveon asked Serena, who explained to her and all the other Pokémon that they were going to evolve some of them with the Evolutionary Stones.

The Pokémon started getting excited, jumping around a little before settling down when Ash and Serena pulled out the stones.

"I'm going to evolve Kirlia and Nidorino," Ash told his Pokémon, to which they nodded.

"I'll evolve Roselia and Nidorina," Serena told her Pokémon before both she and Ash ushered said Pokémon towards them.

Ash and Serena sorted out which stones they would need, Ash taking a Moon Stone and a Dawn Stone while Serena kept a Moon Stone and a Shiny Stone.

Both Ash and Serena tapped the stones against the Pokémon, the Shiny Stone and Dawn Stone touched Roselia and Kirlia respectively while the Moon Stones touched Nidorino and Nidorina.

Nidorino, Nidorina, Roselia and Kirlia started evolving. The four of them emitted bright, white light as they grew and changed shape.

After a moment, the light subsided, revealing the new Pokémon that stood in place of their pre-evolutions.

Kirlia had evolved into Gallade, Roselia had evolved into Roserade, Nidorina had evolved into Nidoqueen while Nidorino had evolved into Nidoking. Along with that, Gallade had forgotten Draining Kiss upon evolution and had learned Psycho Cut.

The Pokémon let out excited cries of their names as they observed their new teammates, urging the Pokémon who had evolved to cry their names as well.

"Ash," Serena said, looking at the ground, a little embarrassed.

"Yeah?" Ash asked, confused as to why she looked so shy.

"I know that it's a bit of an inconvenient time to ask," she started. "But could we go to Route eight?" She asked, to which Ash raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Why?" He asked, to which Serena sighed.

"I think I need a break from our journey for a bit," she said. "Route eight is a big beach, so I think it would be nice to rest there for a bit."

Ash nodded, shrugging a little. "Of course," Ash told her, to which she smiled. "It's not a big deal."

"How will we get there so fast, though?" Serena asked, to which Ash smiled as if Serena were an idiot.

"Lumiose City isn't that far from Route eight," he reminded her. "We could fly there on Fletchinder."

Fletchinder let out a cry of its name, letting them know that it would be okay for them to ride it.

"Great," Serena said, smiling.

* * *

An hour later, Ash and Serena descended onto route eight on Fletchinder's back, hopping off and onto the sand, thanking Fletchinder before Ash returned it.

"I just had a thought," Serena told Ash, to which he nodded, looking at her. "Why don't we travel the region on Fletchinder?"

"Because it's better to travel on foot," Ash told her, to which Pikachu nodded.

"What's that?" Serena asked, looking off to the side of Ash, who looked in the same direction.

"That's an Absol," Ash said, observing the Pokémon. "I think it's a wild Pokémon."

"It's beautiful," Serena murmured, grabbing Braixen's Pokéball before she released her starter. "Use Ember," she commanded, to which Braixen nodded, attacking the Absol.

Ash stepped back, shocked that Serena took no second thought to attack the wild beauty.

Serena and the Absol looked at each other, seeming to have some form of recognition of each other and what they both wanted.

Serena pulled an empty Pokéball out of her pocket before she threw it at Absol, sucking it into the ball that shook three times before stopping.

"Yay!" Serena exclaimed, jumping into the air before she rushed over and picked up the ball.

"Well done, Serena," Ash congratulated her while Serena cradled the Pokéball before it disappeared.

"W-What happened?!" Serena exclaimed, shocked as she started to look around, searching for the lost ball.

"You have six Pokémon on you, right?" Ash asked her, to which she nodded. "That's why, then."

"Huh?" Serena questioned, confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You can't have more than six Pokémon on you at once," he explained. "If you want to use the Absol, you have to use a PC in a Pokémon centre to trade one of your current Pokémon for the Absol."

Serena nodded, understanding. "There's a Pokémon centre close by, isn't there?" She asked, to which Ash nodded.

"In Cyllage," Ash told her, to which Serena smiled before grabbing his hand and rushing into Cyllage.

When Ash and Serena landed on Route eight, they landed on the border of Cyllage city and Route eight, meaning that the Pokémon centre was a five-minute walk away.

* * *

Ash and Serena entered the Pokémon centre, Pikachu clutching onto Ash's shoulder for dear life as Serena dragged him and Ash over to a PC.

Serena scrolled through the menu a few times before she selected Absol.

"Please deposit a Pokémon," the PC said, to which Serena stopped. She would have to stop using a Pokémon to replace it with the Absol.

Ash noticed that Serena was in deep thought. Taking a moment to realise what she was thinking about, Ahs decided that it would be best to leave the decision to her. He wouldn't have any input on her decision.

After a moment, Serena grabbed Linoone's Pokéball and placed it on the slot, watching it dissolve before another Pokéball materialised in its place, being Absol's Pokéball.

Serena released the Pokémon before she scanned it with her Pokédex.

"Absol, the Disaster Pokémon. It senses coming disasters and appears before people only to warn them of impending danger. This Absol is female. Its moves are Night Slash, Bite, Future Sight and Slash. Its ability is Pressure."

"You're level thirty-two?" Serena asked, looking at Absol in shock.

"I had a previous trainer who decided to release me because they weren't treating me correctly," Absol told Ash and Serena, to which they sad to hear the story.

"I'll treat you better, Absol," Serena said. "I promise."

Absol looked at Serena before she smiled, tilting her head before she nuzzled Serena's leg.

"For the Disaster Pokémon, you're quite delicate," Ash commented, to which Serena and Pikachu agreed, Absol saying nothing.

* * *

Ash, Serena and Pikachu headed back to Lumiose on Fletchinder's back after three hours of being on Route eight, landing in front of their hotel by the time six o'clock rolled around.

Ash and Serena decided to eat at a café, concluding that they would eat before going back to the hotel.

They entered and placed their order, heading over to an empty table to wait.

Ash realised something, taking a moment to think it through before he concluded that he was correct.

"We're over half way through our journey," Ash voiced, to which Serena took a moment to process what he said, becoming a little shocked when she realised that Ash was correct.

"We only need to beat three more gyms," she said, laughing a little. "Then we'll be participating in the league." She concluded, to which Ash nodded, a little excited.

Serena noticed this excitement, something that she also shared until she realised that they would have to part ways once they had finished their Kalos journey.

Ash suspected how Serena felt, grabbing her hand before squeezing it, smiling. "Don't worry, Serena," he told her. "It won't be long before we see each other after this."

Serena smiled, acknowledging that he was right. The two of them couldn't bear to spend a day apart, let alone months. They would be back together before long.

Their food arrived, and within twenty minutes, both Ash and Serena left, heading to the Pokémon centre to heal and feed their Pokémon.

* * *

"Hello," Nurse Joy greeted as they entered, heading over to her.

"Could you heal and feed our Pokémon, please?" Serena asked as she placed her Pokéballs on the desk, Ash doing the same.

Nurse Joy nodded before she took the Pokèmon to a room behind her to feed them.

Ash and Serena waited for five minutes before Nurse Joy came back to them with their Pokémon.

"Thank you," Ash said, Nurse Joy shrugging off his gratitude as it was her job to heal and feed Pokémon.

Ash and Serena left the Pokémon centre, heading back to their hotel, ready to flop onto their bed and fall into a food coma.

"I'm happy that out Pokémon evolved today," Serena told Ash as they made their way down the road.

"I'm happy, too," Ash replied, smiling as he grabbed her hand before squeezing it tightly.

* * *

They entered the building and headed up to their room, opening the door. Ash closed the door behind them before he headed into the bathroom for a shower.

Meanwhile, Serena sat on the bed, kicking her legs as she watched Pikachu and Sylveon curl up in the corner of the room.

* * *

After a few minutes of waiting, Ash emerged from the bathroom, instantly throwing his clothes on the floor before he dove onto the bed, wrapping himself up in the duvet and falling asleep.

"Precious," Serena whispered, walking over to Ash before she planted a kiss on his forehead.

* * *

After a couple of minutes, both Ash and Serena were sound asleep, wrapped in each other's arms as they slept.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Serena woke up first. It had been a while since that had last happened, the last time being when she decided to dress up as a Skitty.

She blushed a little as she remembered that incident. Why did she do that?

Sliding off the bed, Serena got up, throwing on her clothes before deciding that she would take the Pokèmon down the street to the Pokèmon centre, not wanting to wake Ash up yet.

She shook Sylveon and Pikachu awake, who looked at her, confused.

"We're going to get some food," Serena whispered to them, being careful not to wake Ash.

The two Pokèmon nodded before following her out of the door as soon as she had grabbed her and Ash's Pokèballs, stuffing them in her pocket.

* * *

"Hello," Nurse Joy greeted with a yawn. "You're here early," she commented. "It's only seven."

Serena nodded, pretending that she knew while she internally scolded herself for not checking the time. Why had she woken up so early? Was there a reason?

Serena pushed Pikachu and Sylveon onto the counter before placing the other Pokèballs next to them. "Could you feed them, please?"

Nurse Joy nodded, yawning again, making Serena yawn. She proceeded to take the Pokèmon to the room in the back to feed them, returning five minutes later.

"Here you go," she said, handing Serena the Pokèmon.

"Thank you," Serena said with a smile before she started walking back to the hotel.

"Why are we up so early?" Sylveon asked Serena as they entered the hotel.

"I woke up early and didn't realise that it's only seven," Serena replied, sighing, to which the Pokèmon nodded, giggling a little.

"You're stupid," Pikachu sighed, flicking Serena on the back of her head.

"Oi!" She shouted, rubbing her head, annoyed. "You don't have to hit me!"

A man who was walking down the hallway looked at Serena, raising an eyebrow before he shook his head.

"I bet he thinks I'm weird, now," Serena whispered to Pikachu and Sylveon, who both snickered a little before the three of them entered their room to find that Ash was awake.

"There you are!" Ash exclaimed, chuckling a little. "I was worried."

"Sorry," Serena said, letting Pikachu hop off her shoulder.

"It's okay," he replied. "I thought that you went to the Pokèmon centre, but I wasn't quite sure."

Serena looked around the room, about to pack everything into her bag before she realised that Ash had already done it.

"It looks like we were both useful, this morning," Serena muttered, giggling a little before turning to Ash. "Why are you up so early?"

"I woke up and saw that you weren't with me," Ash told her, making Serena blush.

"Sorry," she repeated. "I made you worry."

"Only a little bit," Ash reassured her. "I didn't get up because I was worried. I only rose out of bed because I knew that you were being helpful by feeding the Pokèmon."

Serena smiled, giggling a little when she realised that they sounded like a married couple. Her thought was interrupted by Ash asking why she was up so early, making Serena pout.

"I didn't check the time when I woke up," she muttered, folding her arms.

Ash laughed a little, stroking her hair before hugging her again. "I thought it would be something like that," he said, to which Serena pouted more and blushed a little. "You're dumb."

"I am not!" Serena retaliated, making Ash smile.

"Okay," he said. "You're not dumb."

Serena smiled before her stomach growled a little. "S-Should we go and get breakfast?" She asked, to which Ash shook his head.

"No here except the Pokémon centre will be open, and I'm not even sure if the Pokémon centre's café is open yet," Ash told her, to which Serena sighed.

"I forgot to check while I was there," Serena muttered, looking glum. "Should we stay here for a bit, then?"

Ash nodded, dropping onto the bed before he turned the TV on, patting the space next to him.

Serena giggled, crawling onto the bed before laying next to Ash, resting her head on his chest.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Ash and Serena decided to search for a café that was open as both of them started to get hungry.

They found one and entered, both of them ordering a full English breakfast as they both felt unusually hungry.

"What are we doing today?" Serena asked Ash when they sat down at a table, waiting for their food.

Ash looked at her, laughing a little, confusing Serena.

"What?" She asked, confusing her as to what Ash was finding funny.

"We're going to be heading through Route fourteen," Ash told her, to which she nodded.

"I'm sorry," she said, giggling a little as well. "I forgot," she said, resting her head on the table in defeat.

"Serena," Ash said, making her look up at him.

"Yes?" She asked, wondering what he was going to say.

"Raise your head," he told her. "Otherwise, you won't have any food."

Serena looked up, seeing that the waiter was stood there with their meals, waiting patiently for Serena to lift her head from the table so that he could give her the food.

"Sorry," Serena said, jolting up, watching the waiter give them their food before he walked away.

"I can't take you anywhere, Serena," Ash commented, laughing when Serena pouted.

* * *

They walked out of the café and headed north, towards the next route, being Route fourteen; the forest and swamp-like route that led them to the next city.

"What Pokémon are on this route?" Ash asked Serena, who pulled out her phone, pulling up a list of the most common Pokémon on the route.

"There isn't many common Pokémon on here that are new or of a type that we need," Serena told him, returning her phone to her pocket before looking up to see Ash looking at a Goomy.

"What did you just say?" Ash asked her, telling Pikachu to jump off his shoulder and use Quick Attack on the Goomy.

"Dragon-types resist Normal!" Serena reminded Ash, to which he nodded.

"I know!" Ash replied, turning around to smile at Serena. "Goomy's defence isn't good, so a Normal-type move like Quick Attack is the best option."

Pikachu turned around, nodding at Serena to tell her that Ash was correct before he rushed forward, slamming into Goomy, who was taken aback by the sudden attack.

Goomy slid backwards before recoiling with Dragon Breath which engulfed Pikachu, making him disappear in the wave of purple smoke.

"Iron Tail!" Ash exclaimed, to which Pikachu shot out of the top of the smoke before spinning in the air as his tail turned to pure steel. He proceeded to slam the lower half of his body into Goomy, dealing a decent amount of damage.

Ash threw a Pokéball at Goomy as soon as he could see the Pokémon, which turned it to energy before sucking it into the ball. The ball shook three times before it stopped as stars erupted from the top, signalling that Ash had successfully caught the Goomy.

"Well done!" Serena congratulated, rushing over to him to give him a quick hug before Ash walked over to the Pokéball and picked it up, releasing Goomy.

Ash sprayed Goomy with a potion, healing it before he scanned it with his Pokédex.

"Goomy, the Soft Tissue Pokémon. The weakest Dragon-type Pokémon, it lives in damp, shady places, so its body doesn't dry out. This Goomy is male. Its moves are Dragon Breath, Body Slam, Bubble and Absorb. Its ability is Hydration."

"That's a decent Pokémon," Serena commented, hugging Ash from behind, her arms wrapped tightly around his stomach.

Goomy looked up at Ash and Serena, smiling a little before Ash returned it to its Pokéball.

"Goomy is the same level as the rest of my team," Ash told Serena, putting his Pokédex back in his pocket.

"Should we continue walking, then?" Serena asked Ash, who nodded before he burst out laughing. "What?" Serena asked, concerned that she had said something funny.

"Before," he said, catching his breath as he attempted to stop laughing. "Before, you said that there aren't any common Pokémon on this route that are good," Ash reminded her, to which she sighed.

"I didn't realise that Goomy was on the list," Serena told him as they started walking.

"That doesn't matter, Serena," Ash told her, still recovering from his laughing fit.

* * *

Three hours later, Ash and Serena stopped walking for a lunch break. They flopped down onto the grass, looking up at the leaf-covered sky.

"What time is it?" Ash asked Serena, who checked her phone before stating that it was twelve-o-clock.

"Let's eat, then," Ash said, grabbing his bag before grabbing some food and handing it to Serena, deciding that he would focus on feeding the Pokémon while she made them some pasta.

Ash fished twelve food bowls out of his bag along with some Pokémon food, setting them out on the floor before filling them all.

Serena and Ash released all of their Pokémon and instructed them to eat, gesturing to the bowls as they commanded them to fill their stomachs.

* * *

After they all finished eating, they packed everything away and continued their journey towards Laverre, entering the city by the time that half-past four rolled around.

"Let's go the Pokémon centre," Ash said, grabbing Serena's hand before they started walking over to the Pokémon centre that conveniently rested close to the entrance of Route fourteen.

As they entered, they were greeted by Nurse Joy, who sounded slightly annoyed to see more people.

"Hi," Nurse Joy greeted, sighing before holding her hand out. "Pokémon, right?"

Ash and Serena were a little taken aback by her abruptness and rudeness. "Yeah," Ash said, grabbing his Pokéballs before handing them to her, Serena doing the same while Pikachu hopped onto the counter.

"Could we book a room, too?" Serena asked, to which Nurse Joy nodded, throwing a key at Serena which she narrowly caught before it hit her in the face.

Nurse Joy healed their Pokémon before handing them back over, sighing.

* * *

Ash and Serena headed to their room four hours later, tired and stuffed. They had trained their Pokémon a little, raising their levels by two, to which Frogadier forgot Round and learned Smack Down.

Serena went into the bathroom to shower while Ash flopped onto their bed, deciding to shower a few minutes later as he lay there while watching TV.

He could hear Serena whistling a little as she stepped out of the shower, deciding to wrap a towel around herself before walking out of the bathroom, greeting Ash who looked at her, blushing.

"Y-You're not wearing any clothes," Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I will when we sleep," Serena replied, sitting on the bed before Ash walking into the bathroom to shower.

* * *

Five minutes later, Ash and Serena were laying in bed, watching TV while battling to stay awake. As they fought, they both slowly closed their eyes before drifting to sleep.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash jolted awake, grabbing his throat in shock. He had a strange dream. The dream trapped him in a room with the legendary Pokémon Yveltal. The only problem was the fact that the Pokémon decided to fire at him with an intent to choke him to death.

He looked over at Serena, who was clinging to his arm, confused and concerned.

"What's wrong, Sweetie?" She asked him, to which he turned away, looking over at Pikachu and Sylveon, trying to distract his mind from remembering the nightmare.

"A weird dream," Ash told her. "That's all. Don't worry."

Serena looked at the floor, clearly frustrated that Ash didn't care about whether or not she wanted to worry about him.

Ash looked at the time, seeing that it was half-past ten. He jumped out of bed and quickly threw on his clothes, before heading into the bathroom to wash his face.

Serena sat on the bed, watching him the whole time, a little worried. Ash hadn't had a nightmare in their journey, yet. Would it affect him?

As Serena watched him, she felt the weight on the bed shift a little. Looking over to the side, she saw that Sylveon had hopped onto the bed.

Sylveon nuzzled her, sensing that Serena was worried about Ash. "It's okay," she told her, stroking Sylveon. "I know that Ash will be okay."

Ash walked out of the bathroom before grabbing the Pokèmon, taking them to Nurse Joy without acknowledging Serena.

A little confused as to why Ash didn't even look at her, Serena stood up, putting her clothes on before heading into the bathroom to get ready.

* * *

"Hi," Nurse Joy muttered, already guessing what Ash wanted. "You want me to heal your Pokèmon?"

Ash nodded. How come she didn't want to do anything to do with her job? "Could you feed them, too?"

Nurse Joy took Ash and Serena's Pokèmon to a room in the back before returning after five minutes.

"Oh," Nurse Joy started, grabbing Ash's arm before he walked away.

"What is it?" Ash asked, confused as to why she had to grab his arm instead of merely saying something.

"I'm sorry for the way I'm acting," she said, looking down at the floor before letting go of Ash.

"It's okay," Ash said, smiling, to which she looked up.

"You see," she started. "I'm on my period," she whispered. "And I get quite bitchy when I'm on my period."

Ash laughed a little, understanding why she had been acting the way that she had for the time that he was there.

Before Nurse Joy said anything else, Ash left, heading back to his and Serena's room.

* * *

Ash walked back into his and Serena's room, placing her Pokèballs on her lap, making her look up and giggle.

"I can use my hands, you know?" She said, laughing a little.

Ash sat next to her, a blank expression covering his face.

Serena looked over, about to ask what was wrong before Ash suddenly burst to life.

"TICKLE FIGHT," Ash shouted, pouncing onto Serena before tickling her entire body, making her laugh like a maniac as she tried to resist.

"S-s-stop it A-Ash!" Serena spluttered, unable to control her laughter but attempting to anyway.

"Okay," Ash said, letting go of her, standing up before pulling Serena onto her feet. "Let's go and get breakfast."

* * *

Ash and Serena sat in the Pokèmon centre's café, munching on some pancakes as they planned what they were going to do.

"It's eleven o'clock now," Serena told Ash after he asked for the time.

"If we go to the gym and do our battles," he started, trying to think. "Then we can grab lunch and maybe start making our way down the next route straight away?"

Serena nodded, deciding that Ash's plan was a good one before they left the Pokèmon centre.

They were about to make their way to the gym when they heard a shout from somewhere behind them.

"Stop! Please!"

Ash turned around, seeing a few members of Team Flare wrestling for a young boy's Pokèball.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, rushing forward before slamming into a grunts leg.

The woman cried out in pain before collapsing to the floor, attempting to grab Pikachu.

"Use Iron Tail on her hand!" Ash shouted without thinking, watching Pikachu oblige before smashing the woman's hand, distorting its figure.

Everyone stopped moving, listening to the woman scream and sob in pain, clutching her mutilated hand.

"Ash!" Serena exclaimed, clutching her mouth before slapping him. "Why did you ma-"

"No," the woman said, weakly. "Don't hit him."

Ash and Serena ran over to the woman along with the other grunts while the young boy grabbed his Pokèmon and ran away screaming.

"He did the right thing," she told Serena, looking at her hand. "I am evil, after all."

"I'm sorry," Ash said, making her look at him faintly due to the pain. "I wasn't thinking."

"No, no," she said. "I deserve it."

Serena looked at Ash who was sobbing uncontrollably, unable to believe what he did. Maybe it was a good thing that he told Pikachu to hurt her. It stopped the ordeal, after all.

The other grunts picked the woman up and placed her in a car, taking a minute to think before taking off their outfits and throwing them on the ground.

"We don't want to be part of Team Flare anymore," one of the grunts said, looking at Ash.

With that, they got into the car and drove to the hospital, leaving Ash and Serena speechless.

"I think you scared them and they realised that there are consequences for their actions," Serena said, looking at Ash who was steadily recovering.

"I wasn't thinking," he said, to which Serena hugged him.

"It's okay," she said, trying to make him see that what he did was okay.

Pikachu hopped back onto Ash's shoulder, looking a little confused. Why was Serena suddenly okay with what happened?

As if Serena knew what Pikachu was thinking, she muttered an answer to the question. She said that it prevented the scene from going further and it made the five grunts leave the team.

"Are you okay now?" She asked Ash, to which he nodded, wiping away the remaining tears on his sleeve.

"Let's go to the gym."

* * *

The two of them along with Pikachu walked into the gym, looking around at the interior. It was a blizzard of pink and purple.

"Well," Serena said, nervously laughing. "She runs a Fairy-type gym, after all."

"Hello!" A voice came from behind them.

Ash and Serena whipped around to see a lady dressed in a pink dress standing there, clutching a Pokèball.

"I just arrived and am delighted to see that I have two new challengers!" She exclaimed, squeaking a little before rushing forward, grabbing Ash's hand which dragged Serena with them as she led them to the battlefield.

Ash and Serena exchanged glances, clearly confused but deciding to go with it.

"Wait here," she told them, rushing into a separate room.

* * *

A few minutes later, she returned with a referee.

"I never had a chance to introduce myself, " she said, smiling at Ash and Serena. "My name is Valerie."

"I'm Ash," Ash told her, returning the smile.

"I'm Serena," Serena said, about to say something else before Valerie interrupted.

"Which one of you am I battling first?" She asked.

Ash and Serena looked at each other. They hadn't decided beforehand.

"You'll battle me first," Serena said, looking at Valerie.

"Okay," Valerie said, nodding before Ash shrugged, walking over to the stands, taking a seat while he waited for the battle to start.

Serena and Valerie took their positions on either side of the battlefield, grabbing a Pokéball each before releasing their Pokémon.

"Go, Sylveon!" Valerie exclaimed, throwing her Pokémon which released her Eeveelution.

"Go, Braixen!" Serena exclaimed, releasing her starter.

"Begin!" The referee shouted, waving his arm to signal that the fight had begun.

"Use Dazzling Gleam!" Valerie exclaimed, to which Sylveon obliged, attacking Braixen with a wave of light.

Braixen cried out in pain before falling onto one knee, using her stick to hold herself up.

"Are you okay?" Serena called out to Braixen, who turned around and shrugged, making Serena worry. "Why did that do so much damage?"

"The level difference!" Ash shouted from the stands, clearly worried and shocked. "Her Sylveon is eight levels higher than Braixen!"

"What?!" Serena exclaimed, spinning around to look at Ash, whos face was pale. "Use Flame Charge!" She shouted, turning back to the battle to see that Braixen was on her feet again.

"Good call!" Valerie called out to Serena. "I was about to attack again!"

Braixen waved her stick a few times preparing to send a massive wave of fire towards Sylveon.

At the very last second, before Braixen sent the fire towards Sylveon, Serena told her to combine it with Psybeam, to which Braixen obliged before firing the two attacks at Sylveon.

Valerie and Sylveon jumped back, having not expected the combined attacks.

The new attack surrounded Sylveon before exploding, sending the Fairy-type into the wall, dealing tonnes of damage.

The smoke cleared which revealed Sylveon. It hadn't fainted yet.

"Use Swift!" Valerie exclaimed, watching as Sylveon obliged, sending stars at Braixen, which made contact and dealt a load of damage.

"Braixen!" Serena exclaimed, worried about her starter Pokémon.

Braixen flew back, rolling over a few times before slowly standing up, almost unconscious.

"Use one last attack!" Serena pleaded, knowing that they were close to winning the battle. "Ember!"

Braixen grabbed her stick and conjured a small ball of fire before sending it flying towards Sylveon. Serena would have commanded Braixen to use Flame Charge, but she knew that Braixen was too weak to attack with that amount of power.

The ember connected with Sylveon, engulfing it in a weak flame before it emerged and fell over, fainted.

"Sylveon is unable to battle! Brai-"

The referee paused, looking at Braixen who became engulfed in bright white light.

"Braixen's evolving!" Ash exclaimed, shocked as he ran down the stands and stood next to Serena.

Braixen's form started to change shape before the light faded, revealing the newly evolved Delphox.

Serena pulled out her Pokédex and scanned Delphox.

"Delphox, the Fox Pokémon. It gazes into the flame at the tip of its branch to achieve a focused state, which allows it to see into the future. This Delphox is female. Its moves are Scratch, Flame Charge, Ember, Psybeam. Its ability is Blaze."

"Delphox!" Serena exclaimed, hugging her Pokémon who was no longer standing weakly.

"Now, Ash," Valerie said, returning Sylveon and handing the Pokéball to the referee. "It's our time to battle."

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

"Go, Frogadier!" Ash exclaimed, taking a page out of Serena's book by deciding to use his starter Pokémon for the battle.

"Go, Mawile!" Valerie shouted, sending out one of her strong Pokémon.

"Begin!" The referee shouted before proceeding to quickly rush into a different room to heal Valerie's Sylveon.

"Use Quick Attack!" Ash shouted, throwing his arm forward, pointing at Mawile.

"Iron Defense!" Valerie shouted, hoping that the move would be enough to prevent the attack from damaging her Pokémon too much.

Mawile managed to strengthen its defence before Frogadier made contact, doing a small amount of damage to the Steel-type.

"Use Crunch!" Valerie shouted, to which Mawile obliged, leaping forward and sinking its teeth into Frogadier's arm.

"Use Smack Down!" Ash commanded, Frogadier complying, jumping into the air before throwing Mawile into the ground, making a dent in the battlefield.

Serena clenched her fists, realising that Ash was at a disadvantage. Mawile was a Steel-type, meaning that it already had a good physical defence. However, Valerie told it to use Iron Defence. So, if Ash told Frogadier to use a physical attacking move, it wouldn't do much damage.

Ash seemed to know this, as the moment Mawile hit the ground, he commanded Frogadier to use Water Pulse, doing more damage than what Quick Attack and Smack Down did combined.

"Feint Attack!" Valerie shouted, watching Mawile jump out of the ground and smack Frogadier.

"Lick!" Ash shouted, to which Frogadier obliged, using his tongue to leave a line of saliva across Mawile's face.

Mawile was quite hurt, with less than half of its health left. But Valerie wasn't finished with the battle just yet.

"Crunch and Feint Attack at once!" She shouted, to which Mawile rushed forward, jumping into the air before latching onto Frogadier by biting into his neck. Mawile then proceeded to batter Frogadier with its fists, slowly dwindling his health down.

"Water Pulse!" Ash shouted, to which Frogadier opened his mouth and forced Mawile off him with the water, sending it flying across the battlefield.

"Mawille is unable to battle!" The referee shouted, rushing back into the room. "Frogadier-"

The referee was once again cut off by a bright light emerging from Ash's side of the battlefield.

"Frogadier is evolving!" Ash exclaimed, excited as he watched his Kalos starter evolve into its final form.

The light slowly faded, revealing Frogadier's evolved form: Greninja.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned his new Pokémon.

"Greninja, the Ninja Pokémon. It creates throwing stars out of compressed water. When it spins them and throws them at high speed, these stars can split metal in two. This Greninja is male. Its moves are Lick, Smack Down, Water Pulse, Quick Attack. Its ability is Torrent."

Ash smiled, happy that his starter had evolved. "Hey," he said, watching Serena walk up to him. "Is it a weird coincidence that both Braixen and Frogadier evolved today?"

Serena shrugged, not caring to think about the answer. "What matters is that we both beat the gym!" She said, ecstatic.

Valeria returned her fainted Mawile and handed the Pokèball to the referee before walking over to Ash and Serena, badges in hand.

"Here you are," she said, handing a badge to Ash and another to Serena.

"Thanks," they replied in unison, putting them away in their bags for safe keeping.

Valerie looked at Ash and Serena for a moment before she asked them if they had interacted with Team Flare earlier on in the day.

"Yeah," Ash said, starting to feel a little embarrassed and uncomfortable as he had told Pikachu to break a woman's hand.

"Thank you," Valerie said, making Ash and Serena look at her, confused as to why she was thanking them.

"For what?" Serena asked, to which Valerie chuckled, turning around before calling a few names.

No less than a few seconds later, the people Ash and Serena encountered before walked into the room, giving Ash and Serena a smile and a wave. Even the woman who had a broken hand was there, dawning a cast which made Ash feel less guilty, knowing that her hand would heal.

"They left Team Flare," she said, laughing a little. "They're going to join the police force to help disband the team as they know their plans, or, at least, some of them."

Ash and Serena smiled, happy that they had genuinely made them leave the team.

"That's great!" Serena exclaimed, waving back to the ex-grunts.

One of the grunts said something to the rest of the group before they left the building without a word.

"We should go back," Ash said, grabbing Serena's hand.

"Okay," she said, giving them a wave before Ash and Serena left the building, heading back to the Pokèmon centre.

* * *

"What's the plan?" Serena asked Ash as they sat down in the café, having ordered their food.

"What time is it?" Ash asked her, to which she pulled out her phone and checked before announcing that it was half-past twelve. "Then I think that we should get a head start on the next route," Ash told her, to which she agreed.

Their food arrived before they tucked into plates covered in a mess of ribs and rice.

* * *

Five minutes later, Ash and Serena had finished their food, leaving the café before heading to their room to collect their belongings.

"The next place is Dendemille, isn't it?" Ash asked Serena, who nodded.

"There isn't a gym in Dendemille, though," she told him, to which Ash sighed. "The next gym is in Anistar city."

"How far away is Anistar city?" Ash asked to which Serena took a moment to think.

"I think it would take us a full day to walk to if we didn't stop in Dendemille," she said, to which Ash shrugged, unsure as to what to do.

"It would be a good idea to stop in Dendemille," he told her before continuing. "But, if you don't mind, we should reach Dendemille and then spend our time training our Pokémon."

"Then leave early in the morning?" Serena asked him, to which he nodded, smiling at her. "Of course I don't mind," she said, giggling, confused as to why Ash thought that she would mind.

"Okay," he said, happy. "That's settled, then," he muttered, throwing his packed bag onto his bag, Serena doing the same. "Let's go," he said, Pikachu hopping onto his shoulder.

* * *

Ash and Serena walked down the street, heading to Route fifteen, prepared to hurry to Dendermille if it started to get dark. While they had tents and sleeping bags, they much preferred sleeping in beds.

"It's kind of funny," Serena started, gaining Ash's attention.

"What is?" Ash asked, confused as to what she was going to say next. Surely it wouldn't be a bad thing is she found it funny, right?

"Every time we arrive in a new city or town, we stay in the Pokémon centre and beat the gym if there is one," she said. "Then we leave without doing anything else."

Ash nodded, realising that what she said was true. They did leave instantly. How long ago was it that they started their journey? A month ago? They had almost travelled through the region in a month because they didn't waste any time relaxing in the cities, but was that the best thing to do?

"Would you like to spend more time in the cities and towns that we pass through?" Ash asked Serena, who shook her head, laughing.

"No, thank you, Ash," she said, smiling. "I'm starting to get a little homesick."

By now, the two of them had emerged onto the fifteenth route of the region.

* * *

They walked through the route, battling a few wild Pokémon, gradually raising the levels of their Pokémon.

By the time they had arrived on the other side of the route and had entered Dendermille town, their Pokémon had levelled up once each except for Delphox and Greninja as Ash and Serena focused on training their weaker team members.

Vivillon had forgotten Stun Spore and had replaced it with Bug Buzz, but that was it. All of Ash and Serena's other Pokémon had kept their old moves.

By the time Ash and Serena had entered Dendemille town, it was half-past four in the afternoon.

They went to the Pokémon centre and booked a room. After that, they proceeded to head there to drop their things off before going to the café for their dinner.

They sat in the café, munching on their meals consisting of beef, potatoes and vegetables.

"What's the plan for the rest of the day?" Serena asked Ash, wanting to know what they were going to do.

"I think we should train our Pokémon a bit more," he told her, to which she nodded, agreeing that it was a good idea.

"Are any of your Pokémon close to evolving?" Serena asked him, to which he nodded.

"Fletchinder will evolve once it levels up again," he told her, to which she nodded.

The two of them were silent for a moment before they finished their food and stood up, deciding that they would train their Pokémon on Route sixteen for a change of scenery.

* * *

As they walked onto the route, Ash noticed a certain Pokémon that he wanted to try and capture.

"Look at that," Ash said, pointing at the Pokémon; a Trevenant.

"You can't usually find Trevenant on Route sixteen," Serena said, confused as she looked at her phone. "You can only find them on Route twenty, usually."

Ash looked at her, confused. "That's odd," he commented, to which Serena agreed.

"Do you want to catch it?" Serena asked him, to which Ash nodded, releasing Fletchinder from its Pokéball.

"Razor Wind!" Ash exclaimed, to which Fletchinder obliged, using its wings to send a gush of wind towards Trevenant, catching it off guard and sending it slamming into a rock.

"Now use Quick Attack!" Ash shouted, watching Fletchinder zoom at the Pokémon, slamming into it, pinning it between the rock and the bird.

Fletchinder flew up into the air before Ash lobbed a Pokéball at the Trevenant, which turned it into energy, pulling it into the ball.

The Pokéball shook three times before stars erupted from the top, signifying that Ash had successfully caught the Ghost-Grass-type Pokémon.

The Pokéball teleported to Ash's PC as he already had six Pokémon on him at the time before he saw a bright, white light above where the Pokéball was.

"Fletchinder's evolving!" Ash exclaimed, catching Serena's attention, who was previously in deep contemplation about how the teleportation worked.

After a second, a Talenflame emerged from the light, soaring through the air before landing on the ground next to Ash.

Talonflame let out a cry of its name, making Ash smile as he stroked its wing before scanning it with his Pokédex.

"Talonflame, the Scorching Pokémon. In the fever of an exciting battle, it showers embers from the gaps between its feathers and takes to the air. This Talonflame is male. Its moves are Agility, Flail, Quick Attack, Razor Wind. Its ability is Big Pecks."

Ash smiled before returning Talonflame to its Pokéball before he dragged Serena to the Pokémon centre to retrieve Trevenant.

* * *

Ash decided to exchange Nidoking for Trevenant, depositing it in the PC before releasing Trevenant and scanning it with his Pokédex.

"Trevenant, the Elder Tree Pokémon. It can control trees at will. It will trap people who harm the forest, so they can never leave. This Trevenant is female. Its moves are Feint Attack, Astonish, Shadow Claw, Horn Leech. Its ability is Natural Cure."

The rest of the day consisted of Ash and Serena raising their Pokémon's levels until they were all level thirty-six. After that, they headed to their room and relaxed before bidding each other goodnight.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash fell off the bed. It wasn't the way he originally intended to wake up, but it was how it happened. One second, he was in the soft embrace of Serena, the next second he was on the floor, having moved a little too far to his right.

"Are you okay?" Serena asked, leaning over the side of the bed to look at Ash, trying not to laugh as he rubbed his arm, having slammed it into the wall as he fell.

"I'm fine," Ash told her, to which she shook her head, not believing him. "I only hurt my arm," he said, standing up before wincing again.

"What's wrong?" Serena asked, a little more concerned this time.

"I landed on my arse," Ash told her, making her burst out laughing.

"Just be happy that you didn't land on your head," Serena commented, to which Ash mimicked her laugh, clearly a little annoyed.

Ash clambered back onto the bed, sitting next to Serena before she decided to grab him and throw Ash to the other side of the bed.

"That side is dangerous," Serena told him, laughing as Ash struggled to not fall off the other side as well.

"I almost fell off again, Serena," Ash told her, to which she pouted.

"I guess you have to go in the middle then," Serena said. "Too bad that I'm in the middle," she finished before grabbing Ash again and pulling him on top of her.

"S-Serena!" Ash exclaimed, listening to her giggle as he tried to escape her clutches. "You do realise that my face is buried in your chest, right?"

"Yeah," Serena said, tapping her fingers on Ash's head. "I don't care. We sleep together, so we've been this close before."

Ash shrugged before finally managing to slide out of Serena's grip, scooting off the bed before starting to put his clothes on.

"Hey!" Serena exclaimed, pouting. "Don't ruin the fun," she said, elongating the 'n' in an attempt to sound cute.

"Come on, Serena," Ash said, grabbing her hand before pulling her off the bed. "Put your clothes on," he said, thrusting her clothes into her face.

"Fine," she said, sighing before she clambered into her skirt, almost falling over when she caught her toe on the fabric.

"Hurry up!" Pikachu exclaimed, jumping onto Serena's head. "I want to go and eat!"

"Okay, okay!" Serena replied, speeding up a little, but struggling to get her shirt on as she had to get it over her head and work it around Pikachu before she finally managed to get it on.

"It would have been easier for her if you moved, Pikachu," Ash told his best friend, to which he laughed, hopping off Serena's head as she slid on her cardigan.

"Okay," Serena said. "We'll leave in a minute. We have to brush our teeth first," she reminded him, to which Pikachu sighed, flopping down onto the floor in defeat.

* * *

Ash and Serena ate their breakfast at the Pokémon centre's café after they had Nurse Joy feed Pikachu, who was more than delighted to see his brown biscuits in the bowl.

As Ash and Serena stepped out the Pokémon, they watched on in horror as a car skidded past the Pokémon centre and slammed into a wall.

They, along with a few other pedestrians and civilians, rushed over to the car, pulling the door open before dragging the guy out of the driver's seat.

"Is he the only one in the car?" A woman asked everyone, to which they nodded.

A man who knew CPR dropped onto his knees next to the unconscious man, continuously pressing on his chest while checking for breathing, which continued after a minute.

Serena called an ambulance on her phone, explaining the situation and stating that the man may not continue breathing for long, even if she didn't know if that was possible. Could he stop again? How likely was that to happen? She didn't know. She hadn't spent thousands of Pokédollars and a couple of years for a nurse's university degree.

* * *

The ambulance arrived at the scene. The still unconscious man was carried into the back before one of the paramedics asked for at least one person to go with them to explain what happened.

Ash and Serena decided to go to make sure that the man was okay seeing as they wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it otherwise. Plus, they realised that everyone else most likely was out and about because they had things to do that didn't consist of sitting in an ambulance for twenty minutes.

* * *

The ambulance stopped at the hospital ten minutes later. The paramedics hopped out along with Ash and Serena before they took the man inside and to a room to have some checkups, an X-ray and possibly surgery.

While everything was going on, Ash and Serena were in the waiting room with the man's family. They discussed what happened and found out from his parents that he had texted them moments before the collision.

"Texting and driving," Ash muttered, annoyed. So many people lose their lives because of texting and driving.

"It's a shame," the man's mother said. "Phone's are ruining the world while they're improving aspects of it."

"They're just convenient," Ash said, to which they nodded in agreement.

"You two seem like reasonable young adults," the man's father said to Ash and Serena, to which they looked at each other, confused. "Would you be interested in taking a Pokémon off our hands?"

Ash and Serena looked even more confused, prompting the man to elaborate and explain.

"We own a daycare centre," he said, gesturing to himself and his wife. "So, occasionally, when people leave their Pokémon with us, they find an egg," he told them. "Most people take the eggs with them and raise the Pokémon, but sometimes they don't because they don't have room for it or something similar. A while ago, someone left their Milotic in the daycare centre and decided not to take the Feebas egg with them when we found it."

"We raised the Feebas and evolved it into a Milotic over the past week, but we can't care for the Pokémon along with the others in the daycare," the man's mother finished, saving her husband his breath. "So, we've been looking for a responsible person to look after her. We think that you would be the perfect person to take care of Milotic."

"Of course," Serena said, smiling as she handed Serena a Pokéball, telling her and Ash to follow her outside as they waited.

They walked outside before the woman instructed Serena to release Milotic from her Pokéball, to which she obliged.

"This beautiful, young woman here will take care of you from now on," she told Milotic, pointing at Serena.

Milotic looked over at Serena before turning back to the woman, nodding to say that she understood.

Without a word, Milotic slithered over to Serena before nuzzling her, signifying that she was comfortable to have a new trainer.

"That was easy," the woman said, taking a deep breath before telling Serena to take care of Milotic.

"Thank you?" Serena said to her, a little confused as to why they didn't seem to be sad about the ordeal.

"We do this all the time," she told Serena, knowing what she was thinking.

The woman's husband came out of the hospital, calling her to say that their son had woken up and was stable.

"Would you like to be alone with your son?" Ash asked the woman, who looked at him and Serena for a second before nodding.

"Yes, please," she said, smiling. "And don't worry! You can go back, now."

With that, the woman walked away, waving to them as she went inside to see her son.

Serena looked at Milotic before smiling and scanning her with her Pokédex.

"Milotic, the Tender Pokémon. Milotic is breathtakingly beautiful. Those that see it are said to forget their combative spirits. This Milotic is female. Its moves are Aqua Tail, Dragon Tail, Disarming Voice, and Twister. Its ability is Marvel Scale."

"It's level thirty-six," Ash said, looking at Serena's Pokédex. "The same level as the rest of our Pokémon," he finished as Milotic was sucked back into her Pokéball and teleported to the PC in the Pokémon centre.

"That's convenient," Serena said, giggling a little as Ash pulled a silly face as if he was shocked.

Luckily, the hospital was next to the entrance to Route seventeen and another Pokémon centre, meaning that Serena could go inside quickly, exchange a Pokémon for a Milotic (she chose Vivillon) and then they could start making their way down the seventeenth route of the region.

* * *

Much later in the day, around eight o'clock that night, Ash and Serena entered Anistar city, checking into the Pokémon centre to heal and feed their exhausted Pokémon.

Straight after tending to their Pokémon, Ash and Serena dropped their belongings off in their room before they decided to head to the Pokémon centre's café to eat.

"I'm going to stay here," Pikachu murmured once Ash and Serena decided to leave.

"Okay," Ash said, laughing when Pikachu tried to hop onto the bed but slipped and fell onto the floor.

"Shut up," Pikachu said, jumping onto the bed successfully. "Just go and eat," he said. "I'm going to sleep."

"Would you like Sylveon to stay with you?" Serena asked Pikachu, teasing him and giggling when he looked at her for a second before nodding slightly.

Serena released Sylveon and told her to take care of Pikachu but to behave herself, making both Pikachu and Sylveon blush.

Ash and Serena proceeded to leave the room, heading to the café to fill their empty stomachs with delicious food.

* * *

Half an hour later, at half-past eight, Ash and Serena returned to their room to find Pikachu and Sylveon wrapped up with each other, smiling in their sleep.

Both Ash and Serena looked at each other for a moment before smiling and walking over to the two Pokémon.

They stopped next to the bed and begrudgingly decided that they had to move them.

"Should we scare them?" Ash suggested to Serena, who giggled a little, nodding.

Serena, being slightly mischevious, decided to put her mouth right next to Sylveon's ear and raise her voice.

Sylveon jumped into the air, sending Pikachu across the room as she shouted, scared.

Ash and Serena burst out laughing, making both Pikachu and Sylveon growl a little.

"Sorry, guys," Ash said, laughing. "We couldn't resist."

"Fair enough," Pikachu said, starting to laugh a little, too. "I would have done the same."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Ash and Serena decided to retire to bed, realising that if they waited any longer, they wouldn't wake up for an extra hour or so the next day.

They had both showered and were ready to sleep as they climbed into bed and wrapped their arms around each other.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

It was slow, but Serena started to stir. Opening her eyes, she saw that her head was almost hanging off the end of the bed, having moved over in her sleep and almost falling off the bad as Ash did the day prior.

She giggled a little before carefully sliding off the bed, almost hitting her head on the bedside table as she did so.

She stood up and walked over to Ash's side of the bed, getting on her knees before she shook him awake.

"No," Ash said, rolling over and burying his face in the pillow. "Five more minutes," he muttered, his words muffled by the soft object underneath his head.

Serena giggled. She was the one who usually begged for more time asleep. Ash was the one who had to wake her and the Pokémon up. But not this morning.

"Come on, Ashy," Serena said, giggling when she shook his head lightly and curled up a little, unwilling to move. "Fine," she muttered before standing up and waking Pikachu. "We'll have to get breakfast without you," she said, watching as Ash suddenly sprung out of bed, rushing to put his clothes on before he looked at Serena and realised that she hadn't even gotten herself dressed yet.

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed, quite annoyed by the fact that his devious girlfriend had duped him.

"Sorry," Serena said, smiling a little before she started to get herself dressed. "I couldn't help it."

"You could have resisted that, actually," Ash said, sighing a little as Serena giggled, unable to lift her skirt up as she laughed. "It wasn't that funny," Ash said, watching Serena nod, indicating that it was.

"It was hilarious," she said, finally finishing to get dressed. "The way you flung yourself out of bed was deeply amusing."

"I can't tell if you're taking the piss," Ash said, laughing a little with Serena.

"Come on," she said, motioning for Ash to follow her. "Let's go and feed the Pokémon and get breakfast."

They left the room, walking down the hallway and into the Pokémon centre's reception before they turned to Nurse Joy.

"Could you feed our Pokémon, please?" Serena asked her, to which the nurse nodded, happily taking their Pokémon to the back room to eat.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Ash and Serena were walking down the street of Anistar city, having just finished their breakfast, they were ready to take on the gym.

"It's Psychic-type, right?" Ash asked Serena. "The gym's used typing, I mean," he added, to which Serena nodded.

"And possibly the toughest gym," she stated, making Ash raise his eyebrows.

"How come?" He asked. "Usually, the eighth gym leader is the toughest gym leader," he said, to which Serena nodded, laughing.

"Yes, that's how it normally works," she said as they walked up to the gym.

They pushed the door open before walking in and being greeted by a voice which seemed to come from nowhere.

"Walk forward to the battlefield," it commanded, urging Ash and Serena to walk through another set of doors.

They obliged before walking through and entering a large room that was painted in black, fluorescent streaks tearing through the image which made it look like a beautiful night sky. Almost as if they were stood in the middle of the galaxy, overlooking the universe.

Neither Ash nor Serena could look away, something that the gym leader picked up on as she descended to the battlefield on one of her Pokémon.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She asked, watching as Ash and Serena continued to gaze at what seemed like the galaxy while they agreed.

The gym leader chuckled a little before introducing herself. "My name's Olympia, I use Psychic-type Pokémon," she informed them. "I hope you've brought a Dark or Ghost-type along."

"We have," Ash told her, releasing his Trevenant. "Let's battle now."

"You're eager," Olympia stated, sending out her Slowking. "I like battling eager opponents."

The referee rushed in from another room, sliding into position before she announced that the battle had begun while Serena made her way to the stands.

"Trevenant!" Ash exclaimed, ready to give the first command. "Use Shadow Claw!"

Trevenant obliged, soaring through the air towards Slowking before its right branch turned a to a deep, black colour which it swiped at Slowking.

Slowking, knowing that it wouldn't be able to dodge, looked over at Olympia, who stood there, not bothering to counter the attack.

Trevenant's attack made contact, sending Slowking back a little before Olympia commanded her Pokémon to use its first move of the battle.

"Power Gem!" She exclaimed, watching as Slowking used his psychic ability to conjure some rocks out of the ground before he sent them flying towards Trevenant.

The rocks stabbed through Trevenant, sending it flying backwards and towards one of the galaxy-like walls of the room.

"Use Feint Attack to break the rocks!" Ash shouted, hoping that Trevenant would be able to pull something off and stop its self from travelling at such a speed.

Trevenant attempted to do as Ash said, breaking two of the four rocks, sending them into the air before slamming into the wall.

"Quick!" Ash exclaimed, catching Trevenant's attention. "Use Shadow Claw on the rocks! Send them towards Slowking!"

Trevenant, confused, obliged, waiting until the rocks got closer before slamming its dark branches into them, firing them at Slowking.

The rocks turned a deep black colour before they both slammed into Slowking, forcing him off his feet and sending him rolling across the battlefield, just missing Olympia.

"I see," Olympia said, chuckling a little. "The rocks came from a Pokémon's attack, which means that they can be used to another Pokémon's advantage in a lot of different ways, including making them a different typed attack."

"Exactly," Ash said. "They absorbed some of the darkness from Trevenant's Shadow Claws, making them faintly Ghost-type," he explained, impressing Serena as she didn't realise that was possible.

Olympia, a little surprised that Ash knew something like that, didn't notice Ash commanding Trevenant to use Horn Leech.

Trevenant complied with Ash's wishes, stealing some of Slowking's health and using it to heal itself, making Slowking faint and almost faint.

"Finish it with Astonish!" He finished, watching Trevenant fly forwards, using one of its branches to strike Slowking, sending it off to the side, fainted.

"Slowking is unable to battle," the referee announced. "Trevenant wins!" She concluded.

Ash felt a vibration in his pocket, making him pull out his Pokédex, seeing that it was alerting him that Trevenant had levelled up three times and had forgotten Astonish for Destiny Bond.

Olympia returned her Slowking before looking over to Serena. "Are you battling me, too?" She asked her, to which Serena nodded, hopping down the bleachers and onto the battlefield, sending out her Absol before she gave Ash a quick kiss to congratulate him.

Ash walked over to the bleachers, climbing the stairs before sitting down, ready to watch Serena's battle with Olympia.

"I'll use Meowstic," Olympia told Serena, sending out her most powerful Pokémon, hoping that it would be enough to counter a Dark-type. Olympia was a little worried as Meowstic wouldn't be able to attack with Psychic, her most powerful move, as Dark-types were immune to Psychic-type moves.

"Begin!" The referee shouted, starting another battle.

Serena decided to take the pleasure of starting the battle, commanding Absol to use Future Sight, confusing Olympia a little as Future Sight wouldn't affect Meowstic a lot due to the move and the Pokémon sharing the same typing.

"That's a little confusing," Olympia stated, making Serena chuckle a little.

"You'll see," she replied, smiling before commanding Absol to use Night Slash, catching Olympia and Meowstic off guard as they didn't expect her to attack so quickly after finishing their exchange about her last move.

"Use Shadow Ball to hold it back!" Olympia blurted out, watching as Absol flew through the air towards Meowstic before her Pokémon conjured a ball of darkness and sent it towards Absol's blade of literal darkness.

The two attacks collided, the Shadow Ball forcing Absol's Night Slash back a little, straining Absol a little until it prevailed, destroying Mewostic's Shadow Ball and slashing it with Night Slash.

"Bite!" Serena exclaimed, watching as Absol took advantage of the fact that it was still close to Meowstic, biting Meowstic multiple times, rapidly draining its health.

"Fake out!" Olympia shouted, hoping that attacking with the Normal-type move would be enough to counter Absol.

However, Olympia was wrong. She had forgotten about the Future Sight attack that Serena had set up at the start of the battle.

Meowstic took hold of Absol, starting to slap it a little before three holes in space and time appeared in the air, launching psychic-meteors towards Meowstic and Absol.

Serena watched as the meteors phased through Absol due to it being immune to Psychic-type attacks. However, all of the meteors made contact with Meowstic, draining the last of its life.

"Meowstic is unable to battle!" The referee concluded. "Absol wins!"

Ash made his way down from the stands and towards Serena while Olympia returned her Meowstic and handed her two fainted Pokémon to the referee to have them healed.

Ash congratulated her before Serena's Pokédex vibrated, catching her attention, prompting her to pull it out.

She looked at it and saw that Absol, like Ash's Trevenant, had levelled up three times and had forgotten Future Sight and learned Psycho Cut to replace it.

Olympia approached the two of them, gym badges in hand along with two other objects.

"You two have earned these badges," she told them, handing Ash and Serena a badge each. "As for you, miss," she said, looking at Serena.

"Yes?" Serena asked, a little confused as to what was going to happen next.

"Do you know about mega evolution?" She asked, to which Serena nodded.

"It's a temporary evolution that only certain Pokémon can achieve that increases the Pokémon statistics," she recited. "Only fully-evolved or Pokémon that don't evolve can use it, and even then, it's still a limited amount."

Olympia nodded before holding her hand out to Serena. "Now," she said. "How is mega evolution done?"

"Through a strong bond with the Pokémon and its trainer while the trainer uses a mega bracelet and the Pokémon uses a mega stone?" Serena asked, unsure if that was correct, though happy when Olympia nodded.

"I want you to have these," she told Serena, making Serena look at the items in her hand. A mega bracelet and an Absolite.

* * *

 **There we go! A little cliffhanger for you. It's been a while since I last gifted you one, so I decided to give you on now. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

"I want you to have these," Olympia told Serena, making Serena look at the items in her hand. A mega bracelet and an Absolite.

Serena gazed at the items for a moment before she smiled and took the objects.

She bent down, pulling a string out of her pocket before attaching the Absolite to Absol's leg and putting the bracelet on her wrist.

"Thank you," she said to Olympia before hugging her. "I'll remember you when I use these," she said to her, making Ash sigh a little.

"It isn't like she's going to die, Serena," he told her, making her look at him, clearly confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked, thinking that he was somehow getting the wrong idea.

"You worded it in a way which makes it sound as is Olympia is about to die," he said, making Olympia chuckle a little.

"I'm like a ghost, anyway," she said, attempting to make a scary face which made Ash and Serena giggle a little.

"We should get going," Serena said, returning Absol to its Pokéball. "Thanks again!" She said, waving to Olympia before both she and Ash turned around and started making their way to get lunch somewhere.

* * *

The two of them entered a café, wondering what they were going to eat before Ash had an idea.

"How about we go and buy some fresh food?" He asked Serena, making a few customers look at him, confused. "Not that the food here isn't fresh," Ash said, looking at the customers. "I meant- oh, nevermind."

Serena held back her laughter, having to cover her mouth with her hand.

Ash looked at her for a second before chuckling and grabbing her hand, leading her out of the café.

"Where are we going?" Serena asked him, looking around before seeing that they were heading towards a food shop. "Are we going to cook a meal?" She asked, to which Ash shrugged.

"Similar," he said, stopping before turning to look at her. "How about we have a picnic?"

Serena nodded enthusiastically, flinging her arms around Ash's neck and giving him a tight hug, happy with the idea.

* * *

Five minutes later, Ash and Serena left the shop with a bag of fresh food including meat, vegetables, bread and cheese.

They decided that they would eat in a local, grassy clearing that was in the centre of Anistar city. They assumed that it would be empty or there would be a couple of people doing the same thing.

"I'm excited," Serena said, giggling as she rested her head on Ash's shoulder while continuing to walk.

"You're so cute sometimes," Ash said, making Serena pout, wanting to know why he didn't say that she was cute all the time.

"What do you mean by 'sometimes,' Ash?" She asked, looking up at him and making the cutest face she possibly could.

Ash laughed, deciding to tease Serena a little by not replying to which she pouted more.

"You're always cute," Ash said after a moment of silence, making Serena smile and nuzzle him.

"Shut up, you big doofus," Serena said, giggling a little.

"Okay," Ash said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "I think the clearing is over there," he told her, pointing over to what looked like a gigantic forest is the middle of the city.

"Come on, then!" Serena exclaimed, starting to run towards the area, still holding Ash's hand, dragging him behind her.

The two of them ran over to where they would be eating, and after a minute or two, they both collapsed on the floor, rolling over a little and laughing.

"Let's eat!" Serena exclaimed, grabbing the bag and pulling out food while Ash lay a cloth on the grass.

They set everything up, making sandwiches piecing together other snacks before munching down, consuming almost everything, only stopping to drink or laugh at something the other person said.

* * *

By the time they finished, both Ash and Serena were laying on the grass next to each other, hand in hand as they gazed at the sky.

"How long is the next route?" Serena asked Ash, looking over at him, clearly a little tired.

"It's quite short," Ash said, looking at his phone to check.

"Could we stay here for a bit longer, then?" Serena asked, rolling over and onto Ash, her head resting on his chest.

"Of course," Ash said, chuckling a little when Serena smiled and nuzzled him.

They stayed like that, laying on the grass, enjoying the sunlight for another hour, deciding that they should head back to the Pokémon centre and gather their things by the time two o'clock rolled around.

* * *

They walked into the Pokémon centre, greeting Nurse Joy before heading to their room and packing their bags.

"This is quite repetitive, isn't it?" Ash asked Serena, who paused for a moment before nodding.

"Maybe we could spice it up a little?" She suggested, to which Ash nodded.

"I'll put on some music, then we have to try and pack our bags do everything with the beat," he said, laughing. "Whoever finishes first wins."

Serena nodded, liking the sound of the idea, intrigued as to what Ash would play through his phone. The faster the song, the harder it would be.

After a moment of waiting, Ash decided to play 'Say Abra' by 'Panic! At the Donphan,' stating that it would be interesting to see how they would do with an upbeat song.

The song started, meaning that Ash and Serena started to hop and slide around the room, grabbing their belongings before gracefully placing them in their bags.

They finished packing by the time the song was halfway done, prompting Ash to be silly and dance his way over to his phone to turn the music off, making Serena fall onto the bed in a fit of laughter.

"Come on," Ash said to Serena, pulling her off the bed as he threw his bag on, Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder moments later.

"Okay," Serena said, picking her bag up and putting it on. "What's the plan?" She asked as they walked out of the room.

"Geodude maps calculated that it will take two hours to walk to Couriway from here," Ash told Serena, who nodded. "So I think that we have some time to either relax or to train our Pokémon when we get there."

"We've already relaxed today," Serena reminded Ash. "It would be a good idea for us to train our Pokémon, maybe until they're all at level forty?"

"That's a good idea," Ash said as they walked to Nurse Joy, giving her the room key and thanking her before leaving the Pok émon centre with Serena.

The two of them walked through Anistar, talking before they entered the eighteenth route of Kalos.

They walked a little, passing by some Pokémon that looked decently strong.

"Why don't we train now?" Ash asked Serena, who stopped walking to face him.

"What do you mean?" She asked, a little confused as to what he meant.

"What do you think I mean?" Ash responded, chuckling. "Why don't we battle some of the wild Pokémon on our way?"

"Okay," Serena said, nodding. "Why not?"

Ash sent out Goomy and focused his attention on a Torkoal that was passing by.

"Use Bubble!" Ash shouted, watching Goomy oblige and send a few powerful water bubbles towards the Fire-type.

The bubbles made contact and almost made Torkoal faint instantly due to its weakness to Water-type moves.

Torkoal tried to retaliate, almost sending an attack towards Goomy before Ash had his Pokémon use Body Slam on the Torkoal, knocking it out.

Serena sent out her Roserade, paying attention to a wild Sandslash. "Use Magical Leaf!" She exclaimed, to which Roserade complied with her wishes and sent a storm of sharp leaves heading towards Sandslash.

Once again, the move made contact and almost made the opposing Pokémon faint but left it with a small amount of health left.

Sandslash, like Torkoal, tried to attack back but didn't manage to get the attack out before Roserade used Grass Whistle, sending it into a deep slumber.

"Now use Magical Leaf again!" Serena commanded, to which Roserade attacked again and made Sandslash faint.

"This is much nicer," Ash said to Serena, who nodded, agreeing as they continued to walk, their Pokémon moving alongside them.

"Anyway," Serena said. "It's not like we're permanently harming the Pokémon," she said, to which Ash agreed.

"But it must be annoying for them," he said, before receiving an alert from his Pokédex which started that Goomy had levelled up once.

"Come on," Serena said, grabbing Ash's hand before breaking out into a light jog. "Let's not waste any time!"

* * *

By the time Ash and Serena had reached the end of the route, due to their constant battling, they emerged on the other side by the time six o'clock rolled around.

"We were on the route for four hours!" Ash exclaimed as he looked at his phone.

"Well, we have trained our Pokémon much more than we expected to," Serena said, looking over the statistics of her Pokémon on her Pokédex.

Instead of raising all of their Pokémon to level forty, due to their constant battling, their Pokémon all ended up at level forty-five by the time the battling had stopped.

Talonflame had forgotten Flail for Acrobatics, Tevenant had forgotten Destiny Bond for Phantom Force, Goomy had evolved into Sliggoo and forgotten Dragon Breath for Dragon Pulse, Delphox had forgotten Ember for Flamethrower, Absol had forgotten Bite for Sucker Punch while Milotic had forgotten Twister for Hydro Pump.

"I think that we were quite lucky with the amount of Pokémon we encountered," Ash stated, to which Serena agreed.

"Let's go and get a room and then we can get some food," Serena said, grabbing Ash's hand before they headed over to the Pokémon centre.

* * *

Ash and Serena went through their usual routine, acquiring a room, dropping their things off, eating their dinner in a café, relaxing for a bit and heading to bed. However, this time, Serena decided that she was going to spice it up a little. Once Ash had fallen asleep, she slid out of bed and went into his bag, pulling out two frying pans before slamming them together quite close to his ear.

Ash bolted up, sending himself flying across the room and onto the floor, having almost suffered a heart attack from Serena's stunt.

"Why?!" Ash exclaimed, glaring at Serena who was on her stomach, rolling around on the floor while laughing.

"It was funny!" Serena responded, giggling.

"It wasn't for me," Ash said, grumpy. "We're probably going to have a noise complaint now."

"Sorry," Serena said, knowing full well that she wasn't sorry in any way. "Let's sleep."

"I don't trust you to go to sleep," Ash said, making it quite clear that he was genuinely annoyed with Serena.

"Just trust me," Serena said, putting the pans back in Ash's bag before she slid into bed.

"Fine," Ash mumbled, putting his head on the pillow once more and falling asleep without any disturbance.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Apologies if it felt rushed, but I realised an hour before posting this that I only had half of it ready. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Crash! It was slow, but Serena opened her eyes to see that Ash was gone.

"Huh?" Serena mumbled, confused. Where was he? Serena remembered what had woken her up when she looked over the side of the bed to see Ash on the floor, panting and sweating. "Arceus!" She exclaimed, jumping off the bed. "Are you okay?"

Ash nodded slowly, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself down. "I'm fine."

"What happened?" Serena asked, too confused and tired to be able to figure it out on her own.

"I don't know," he replied, taking a moment to process what he remembered. "I think it was a nightmare."

"You think?" Serena asked, unsure as to what he meant. "Are you being sarcastic? I can't tell."

"No," Ash said. "I genuinely can't tell what it was."

"Do you remember anything?" Serena asked him, concerned about his health.

"I only remember that something horrible happened and I felt guilty because of it," Ash told her, to which she raised an eyebrow.

"You felt guilty?" She asked. "Did you feel like it was your fault?" She asked.

"That's it," Ash mumbled before he felt his shoulder get heavier.

"What's going on?" Pikachu asked, concerned about Ash along with Sylveon, who was also making her way over.

"Just a nightmare," Ash said, looking at Pikachu and Sylveon, smiling. "Don't worry about me."

"I wasn't," Pikachu said, to which Serena giggled a little. "It's time to get up, anyway. I just wanted to know what was happening."

"Thank you for your concern, Pikachu, my best friend," Ash said as sarcastically as he could, making everyone, including himself, burst into laughter.

"What time is it, anyway?" Serena asked, to which Ash checked his phone and saw that it was eight o'clock in the morning.

"Come on," Ash said. "Let's get ready and then get some breakfast. Being scared make you hungry, you know?"

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Serena walked out of the bathroom, having showered and changed. Ash had taken the Pokémon to Nurse Joy to be fed, meaning that when Serena came out of the bathroom, they could go and eat breakfast.

"Ready?" Ash asked her, to which she nodded, smiling at him.

Ash threw Serena's bag to her and put his bag on his back before grabbing his Pokéballs and clipping them to his belt.

The two of them left the room, taking the key to Nurse Joy and thanking her for the room before they entered the Pokémon centre's café.

Both of them ate a full English breakfast before leaving twenty minutes later, ready to start making their way down the next route.

Ash and Serena walked through the marshland, taking extreme caution as to not fall into the bog.

"How do we get through here?" Serena asked Ash, looking around for a way across the twenty-foot drop into the bog.

"I'm not sure," Ash said, looking around for a bridge that led to the other side before Pikachu flicked him on the forehead. "What?"

Pikachu pointed at the sticky, muddy water below, looking at what looked like wood sticking out of the goop.

"Was that the bridge?" Serena asked Pikachu, to which he shrugged.

"It probably was," Ash stated, sighing. "We're going to have to find another way across," he said, leaning against a tree.

Serena raised an eyebrow while looking between Ash and the tree, catching his attention.

"What?" He asked, confused before he realised what Serena was thinking. "Will it reach the other side?"

"I think so," Serena said, observing the distance. "It looks like a ten-metre gap between here and the other side."

"The tree looks tall enough," Ash said, taking a step back to look at the tree.

"I think we should give it a shot," Serena said, to which Ash nodded.

"Sorry, tree," Ash said, urging Pikachu to use Iron Tail on the bottom of the tree.

Pikachu struck the tree three times in the same place before it toppled over, the top of the tree slamming into the ground on the other side.

"Come on," Ash said, grabbing onto Serena's hand, helping her step onto the trunk. "I'll catch you if you fall."

"I won't fall," Serena said, letting go of Ash before carefully making her way across.

Ash was a little impressed. He had expected that Serena would walk slower than she did. She had practically strode across.

"I'm coming over, too," Ash said, letting Pikachu jump onto his shoulder before he started making his way across.

It would have been easy if Pikachu didn't decide to do what he did, jumping off Ash's shoulder and onto the ground next to Serena, pushing Ash off balance and making him stumble.

Acting out of desperation, Ash lunged forwards, trying to catch himself on the ground but falling a little short.

Expecting to fall into the bog, Ash almost gave up before Serena grabbed his arm and heaved him up.

"And you expected me to fall," she said, giggling.

Ash laughed a little, climbing up with Serena's help. "Shut up," he said, smiling for a moment before Serena hugged him.

"You could have died then," she said softly, burying her head in his chest.

"I'll never die," Ash whispered, stroking her hair. "You know that."

Serena took a step back, looking Ash in the eyes before she nodded and smiled.

"Come on," Ash said, grabbing Serena's hand before they continued walking to Snowbelle city.

* * *

Ash and Serena entered the snowy city, looking around at the beautiful surroundings.

"It's so pretty!" Serena exclaimed, to which Ash nodded, agreeing with her.

"Let's find the Pokémon centre," Ash said, grabbing Serena's hand before they started to walk through the layer of snow, searching for the building with the red roof.

* * *

After a minute or so of searching, Ash and Serena found the Pokémon centre, leaving the coldness of outside when they entered the building.

"It's nice and warm in here," Serena said, sighing a little, happy.

The two of them walked over to Nurse Joy and asked for a room, to which she nodded, handing them a room key.

Ash and Serena made their way to their room and entered, discovering that they had a big bed.

They threw their bags onto the bed and pulled out some warmer clothes, changing into them with hopes that they would be warm enough to walk around in the city without being uncomfortable.

"What should we do now?" Serena asked, looking at Ash.

"I think we should go and get lunch," Ash said, to which she agreed. "Then we should train our Pokémon a bit more."

Serena nodded, smiling as she put a jumper on and closed her bag. "Are you ready?" She asked, to which Ash nodded.

The two of them left the room, asking Nurse Joy to feed their Pokémon before they entered the café.

"What are you having?" Serena asked Ash, unable to decide what she wanted.

"I'll have a salad," Ash said, looking at Serena, who stared back at him.

"Really?" She asked, a little surprised.

"No," Ash said, chuckling a little, making Serena giggle.

"I didn't think that you'd want a salad in this heat," Serena said to Ash, to which he raised an eyebrow.

"What heat?" He asked, making Serena giggle again.

"You know what I mean," she said. "It's too cold for a salad," she explained, to which Ash pretended as if he suddenly understood, making Serena giggle more.

"Stop laughing," he said to her, making Serena stare at Ash, trying to be intimidating before she laughed more. "Seriously!" Ash exclaimed, starting to laugh as well.

"I can't," Serena mumbled through her laughing fit, snorting a little by accident, making her and Ash laugh more.

Pikachu looked between Ash and Serena, shaking his head. Why were they so stupid?

Ash and Serena ordered their food, both of them deciding to have spaghetti before they paid and walked over to a table, taking a seat.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Ash and Serena left the Pokémon centre, heading back towards route nineteen to train their Pokémon, deciding that they would level each Pokémon up until they were all level fifty.

As they made their way towards the route, Serena, a clumsy girl, fell over in the snow, landing face-first in the three-inch-thick snow.

Ash turned around, hearing the soft thud, seeing Serena laying there, giggling.

"What are you doing down there?" Ash asked, laughing a little as he watched Serena roll over, clutching her stomach as she laughed.

"I fell over," she said, giggling.

"I figured that out," Ash said, chuckling a little before he tried to pull her onto her feet. However, Serena, feeling a little playful, decided to pull Ash onto the snow as well, making him land in the same way that she did.

"Ow," Ash mumbled, getting onto his knees, staying still for a moment before he grabbed some snow and threw it at Serena.

"Hey!" She exclaimed, giggling before she grabbed some snow and threw it back at him.

The two of them started a mini snowball fight, throwing snow at each other for a minute or two before they settled down, helping each other get up.

"Let's go and train," Ash said, to which Serena nodded, still giggling quietly.

* * *

Four hours later, at half-past six, they finished training and headed back to the Pokémon centre.

Surprisingly, it had been raining on route nineteen while they were training, and by the time Sliggoo reached level fifty, it evolved into Goodra.

Greninja forgot Lick and learned Extrasensory, Goodra forgot Absorb and learned Power Whip, and Absol forgot Slash for Razor Wind.

Ash and Serena entered the Pokémon centre, walking over to Nurse Joy before asking her to heal their Pokémon.

Nurse Joy gladly took ahold of the twelve Pokémon and healed them in no time before she told Ash and Serena to go to the café and eat as it was necessary to keep them warm in the snow.

They agreed before heading into the café to eat, emerging thirty minutes later, heading back to their room.

* * *

"Today was fun," Serena said as she walked out of the bathroom. Three hours had passed since they returned to their room, which they spent relaxing.

"It was," Ash said, agreeing. "We'll battle the gym leader tomorrow," he said, to which Serena nodded, excited.

"Then we can make our way to the Pokémon league and wait for the tournament," she finished, almost jumping for joy.

"Come on," Ash said, climbing in bed. "Let's get some rest. Tomorrow will be a big day."

Serena nodded, clambering into the bed next to Ash, resting her head on his chest.

"Goodnight," Ash said to her, giving her a kiss, closing her eyes.

"Goodnight," Serena replied, smiling before she also closed her eyes, letting herself slowly drift off to sleep.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash slowly woke up, sliding out of bed before realising how cold it was and quickly jumping back in bed.

"Are you okay?" Serena asked, to which Ash nodded, shivering.

"I'm a little cold, though," Ash mumbled, to which Serena giggled and grabbed onto him.

"I'll warm you up," she whispered, climbing on top of him before resting her head on his chest.

"Thanks," Ash said, a faint blush on his face even though they were as close every night.

Serena nuzzled him before they felt the weight at the end of the bed shift a little.

Looking over, they saw that Pikachu was throwing their clothes onto the bed, telling them to get dressed while still under the covers.

"But that's going to be hard to do," Serena said, looking at Ash, who agreed.

"Just do it," Pikachu said, sighing before laying down again, waiting for them to get dressed.

Ash and Serena shrugged, grabbing their clothes before attempting to get dressed while still in bed, but to no avail.

Sighing, Ash hopped out of bed before quickly throwing his clothes on, relieved when he didn't feel cold anymore.

Serena did the same, almost falling over at one point due to her moving too fast.

Eventually, they finished and headed into the bathroom to get ready while Pikachu sarcastically applauded them.

* * *

The two of them left their room, Pikachu And Sylveon next to them. Heading to Nurse Joy, Serena thought of something.

"What are we going to do after this gym battle?" She asked, to which Ash chuckled.

"What do you think we're going to do?" He asked, making her sigh.

"Head through victory road and train our Pokèmon for the league?" She asked, to which he nodded.

"We don't have to spend the whole time training, though," he told her as they approached Nurse Joy. "Could you feel our Pokèmon, please?"

Nurse Joy nodded, taking their Pokèmon before Serena continued the conversation. "What else will we do?" She asked.

"We could head back to Lumiose to see Clemont, Bonnie and Sycamore," he said, shrugging. "Or we could visit your mother?"

Serena shrugged, unsure as to what she wanted to do. "There's no need to worry about that right now, though," Serena said, smiling. "As soon as we register for the league tournament, we can figure it out."

Ash nodded, agreeing before Nurse Joy handed them their Pokèmon. "Thank you," they said, heading to the cafè.

They ate their breakfast before heading to the gym, prepared to win their eighth gym badge.

* * *

As they made their way to the gym, they noticed a few people who were behaving a little odd. One man checked multiple times before crossing the road, a woman on a bench was frantically looking around, and another man was pacing around in circles, not going anywhere.

"What's wrong with them, do you think?" Serena asked Ash, who shrugged.

"Drugs?" He suggested, chuckling a little. "And you know that it's rude to talk about people behind their backs."

"I know," Serena said, giggling. "But they're weird."

"So are you," Ash replied, laughing when Serena pouted as a response.

They walked up to the gym before entering, noticing that it seemed to get colder than it was outside.

"We should finish our battles quickly, I think," Ash told Serena, shivering a little. "It's cold."

They started walking through the gym and onto the battlefield before they met the gym leader.

"How are you in a t-shirt?!" Ash exclaimed when he saw the man, to which he laughed.

"I've lived in this city for my entire life," he told them. "I'm used to the cold," he finished, looking at Ash and Serena's shocked faces.

"A bit too much," Serena mumbled, shivering. "It's creepy."

"I'm assuming that you two want to battle me?" He asked, to which Ash and Serena nodded. "I'll battle the girl first, then."

"Ladies first, after all," Ash muttered, going to the spectators stands.

"My name's Wulfric, by the way," the man, now identified as Wulfric told Ash and Serena before sending out his Abomasnow.

"Be careful, Serena!" Ash shouted, having just used his Pokédex to scan Wulfric's Abomasnow. "You're going against a Pokémon which is six levels higher than all of your Pokémon!"

A referee quickly ran in from another room, having not realised that a battle was about to take place. "Begin!" He shouted, almost falling over as he slid to a stop on the ice floor.

Serena nodded before she threw a Pokéball, releasing her Delphox before immediately commanding Delphox to use Flamethrower, who obliged, sending the beacon of flames towards Abomasnow, engulfing the Pokémon in the four-times super effective move.

Serena, Delphox, Ash, the referee and Wulfric watched as Abomasnow stumbled a bit, clearly having lost at least half of its health before it fell over.

"Have I won already?" Serena asked Wulfric, confused, who smirked, knowing that his Pokémon wouldn't faint after one attack.

Abomasnow crawled forwards a little before Wulfric commanded his Pokémon to use Ice Beam at Delphox's legs.

Abomasnow obliged, using its hands to create a whirlwind of ice which it then proceeded to send towards Delphox in a neat beam.

Delphox attempted to dodge but failed, getting hurt from the attack while her legs froze to the ground, unable to move due to the attack.

"Now, use Energy Ball!" Wulfric commanded, to which Abomasnow complied and conjured a ball of magical grass which it threw at Delphox.

"Use Psybeam to send it back to Abomasnow!" Serena commanded, to which Delphox did as she said, not only sending the grass back to Abomasnow but also hitting it with Psybeam, dealing extra damage than intended.

Abomasnow staggered a little before slumping over, fainted. "Abomasnow is unable to battle!" The referee announced. "Delphox wins!"

Serena smiled, thanking Delphox before returning her starter Pokémon, dissolving the ice that surrounded her as she did so.

Wulfric returned his Abomasnow and handed the Pokéball to the referee while Ash and Serena swapped, Ash congratulated her and Serena wished him luck.

"I'll battle you with my Cryogonal," Wulfric told Ash, sending out his Pokémon before Ash released Gallade.

The referee started the battle before rushing off to heal Wulfric's Abomasnow as the battle began.

"Use Disarming Voice!" Ash shouted, starting the battle.

"Use Hail!" Wulfric commanded, deciding that it would be a good idea to try and set up a reliable way to attack Gallade all the time.

Cryogonal managed to summon the hail, pelting Gallade with ice while Gallade managed to attack Cryogonal with Disarming Voice.

"Now, use Psychic!" Ash commanded, making Gallade oblige, attacking Cryogonal again while still being slowly hurt by the hail.

Cryogonal took some damage before Wulfric told it to use Confuse Ray.

Gallade was struck by the move, seeming to be unaffected but dazed.

"Use Psycho Cut," Ash commanded, to which Gallade attempted to oblige, but failing, ultimately falling over, smacking his jaw on the ground. "Try again!" Ash shouted, watching Gallade stand up, fighting through the pain in his jaw as he created the psychic blades and swang at Cryogonal.

Cryogonal, already being somewhat weak Pokémon, couldn't protect itself against Gallade, a much stronger Pokémon. Cryogonal fall over, having fainted.

The referee rushed back in at the perfect time, announcing that Cryogonal had fainted as he handed Wulfric his Abomasnow.

Serena ran down the stands and hugged Ash. "Well done," she said enthusiastically.

Ash nodded, smiling, watching as Wulfric returned his Pokèmon, handing its Pokèball to the referee, who rushed off again.

Wulfric made his way over to Ash and Serena, stopping in front of them before taking a moment to look at them. "You're going to the league now, aren't you?" He asked, to which Ash and Serena nodded. "I hope one of you two win it," he said. "You both have so much potential."

Ash and Serena smiled, happy with the compliment. "Thank you," Ash said, returning Gallade before he turned, looking at Wulfric for a second before the gym leader reached into his pocket and pulled out two gym badges.

"Here you go," he said, handing them the badges. "The eighth part of your tickets to the league."

Ash and Serena took the badges, grinning a little as they thought about the somewhat relaxed time they would have while waiting for the league.

"Thank you," Ash repeated, making Wulfric chuckle a little.

"Don't mention it, kid," he said. "I hand out badges to at least three or fours people every week," he said, to which Serena raised her eyebrows.

"I thought that gym leaders battle constantly," she said, shocked. "I didn't realise that the battles are so scarce."

Wulfric laughed a little before Ash looked at the time, seeing that it was time for them to go and get lunch.

"I'll be watching your battles on the television," he told Ash and Serena once Ash expressed that they should leave.

"Thank you," Serena said, unable to stop smiling at the fact that they had won their last gym battle.

Ash and Serena left the gym, walking across the city in search of a cafè, to which they found a small, cosy restaurant.

They entered, sitting down before deciding what to eat and ordering.

* * *

After thirty minutes, they left the restaurant, deciding to head back to the Pokèmon centre to retrieve their belongings before they would make their way to the Pokèmon league.

They entered the Pokèmon centre, giving Nurse Joy a wave before they went to their room and packed their belongings into their bags.

"Where is it we go now?" Serena asked Ash as they made their way through the Pokèmon centre.

"We need to head to Victory Road," Ash told her, placing their room key on Nurse Joy's desk, thanking her before they left the building.

They made their way down the street, crushing the snow under their feet before they saw something.

"Is that Wulfric?" Ash asked, squinting.

"Yes," Serena said, clearly a little worried. "And he's fighting Team Flare."

* * *

 **A cliffhanger! I hope you appreciate the fact that you're all going to have to wait another week for an update, provided that you read this on the day I've posted it, after all. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena rushed forwards, Pikachu and Sylveon prepared to fight Team Flare.

Wulfric saw them, not wasting a second, he shouted at Ash and Serena. "Go to Geosenge town!" He ordered, confusing Ash and Serena. "They're planning to do something insane in Geosenge!"

Ash and Serena nodded, taking a moment to look at the grunts. Ash ordered Pikachu to use Thunderbolt on the Pokèmon that Wulfric was battling.

The attack made contact and severely weakened the attacker's Pokèmon, allowing Wulfric to quickly finish them off before tackling the grunts to the ground while he waited for the police to arrive.

Without wasting another moment, Ash released Talonflame and climbed on, helping Serena to sit down before he ordered his Pokèmon to fly them to Geosenge town.

Talonflame complied, taking off in a matter of seconds, leaving Snowbelle city as the police showed up and arrested the grunts while Wulfric informed them about what was happening.

As they flew away, Ash and Serena could see some of the cities close-by suddenly shut down, every light turning off before police rose into the sky on their Pokèmon, ready to fight any attackers.

"We should get to Geosenge fast," Ash told Talonflame. "Or there's a chance that we won't be able to enter the town."

Talonflame nodded before speeding up, soaring over the trees and pathways below before they could see Lumiose City. However, of course, there was no light emitting from the city.

"It's weird to see the region like this," Serena said quietly, burying her head into Ash's back. "It's scary and cold."

"At least it's not dark, too," Ash reminded her, to which she nodded. "If it were, we wouldn't be able to see anything."

They passed over Lumiose, able to see Geosenge in the distance, or what was Geosenge. Every house was the same as they were, but in the centre of the town, something which looked like a giant gun pointed out of the ground.

"What are they doing?" Ash asked, making Serena look up and see what had happened.

"I never thought they would go this far," Serena whispered, unable to believe her eyes. "This is too extreme."

* * *

They landed outside of Geosenge. Ash thanked Talonflame before returning his Pokèmon to its Pokèball.

Ash and Serena ran into the town and pushed their way through the crowds until they stood before the odd shape.

The hole it was coming out of was much bigger than it needed to be, allowing anyone to peer over the edge. Ash, of course, did so, leaning over the edge to see what was below.

There was what looked like a laboratory, but Ash couldn't see a person down there.

"Come on," Ash said to Serena, sighing before he jumped over the gap and grabbed onto the gun, making a few people in the crowd cover their eyes while others gasped.

"Okay," Serena said, wasting no time in jumping over, landing next to Ash, much to the horror of everyone around.

The two of them started to slowly descend, making their way towards the laboratory, hoping that no-one was ready to fight them.

Ash and Serena finally reached the bottom of the hole, dropping into the laboratory to see that it was empty.

"What now?" Serena asked, to which Ash looked at the giant gun and walked over to it, hoping to find something that would pull it back into the ground. Ash noticed a lever on the wall which he used, happy to see that it did as Ash wished, retracting the gun into the floor.

As the gun started descending, an alarm sounded, alerting anyone else in the building. Along with that, rocks and dirt dropped from the hole, starting to fill the room.

"We should go," Ash told Serena, grabbing her hand before they ran out of the laboratory and into a hallway.

Serena slammed the door shut before they heard a loud crash and Serena felt something heavy hit the door.

"Either the gun fell over, or that was a big rock," Serena said, cautiously letting go of the door, happy when it didn't fall over.

"We should go further," Ash told Serena, starting to get irritated by the alarm.

Serena nodded as a response before they started to run down the hallway, taking random turns as they ran before they collided with a large group of Team Flare grunts.

"There they are!" One of them shouted, urging the rest of them to release their Pokèmon.

Ash and Serena looked at the twelve grunts and the twelve Pokèmon that stood in front of them, a little worried as to whether they were going to win or not.

"Go, Greninja!" Ash shouted, releasing the ninja-like frog.

Greninja landed on the floor next to Ash, perplexed to the number of enemies in front of them.

Serena released her Sylveon, who, like Greninja, didn't expect to see so many enemies.

"Are you going to try and take us on?" One of the grunts asked, amused. "Or will you run away?"

"What do you think?" Ash asked them, smirking a little.

Ash and Serena looked at the collection of Pokèmon. There were two Houndoom, three Raticate, one Gyarados, three Pyroar and three Duskull.

"Sylveon!" Serena started, deciding to make the first move. "Use Bite on one of the Duskulls!"

Sylveon ran forwards, opening her mouth before clamping her jaw shut on one of the Duskulls heads, dealing a decent amount of damage.

"Greninja, use Extrasensory on the three Raticates!" Ash exclaimed, deciding that he would focus on the weaker Pokèmon to quickly reduce the amount he and Serena were facing.

Greninja obliged, placing both hands on his temples before picking the three Pokèmon up and off the floor, throwing them into a wall which made the three of them faint.

"Nice one, Ash!" Serena exclaimed, smiling at her boyfriend. "Sylveon! Use Swift on Gyarados!"

Sylveon released Duskull before creating multiple shuriken-like stars and throwing them at Gyarados.

Gyarados attempted to dodge them but ultimately failed as they surrounded him, slicing multiple parts of its body.

"You!" One of the grunts shouted, addressing the three Pyroar. "Use Flamethrower on Sylveon!" He shouted, realising that the battle wouldn't be as easy as they had hoped it would be.

"Intercept it with Water Pulse!" Ash shouted, watching Greninja conjure the water and send a vortex of the liquid towards the attacks.

The water made contact with the fire, neither Greninja nor the three Pyroar halting their attacks.

"Keep going, Greninja!" Ash slowly shouted, feeling his stomach clench and his arms ache. He couldn't tell what was happening. To him, it was almost as if he was feeling the struggle that Greninja felt.

Ash clenched his fists tightly, squeezing, watching the three fire-type Pokémon slowly overpower Greninja. "Come on!" He shouted, feeling a little bit of pain in his legs and back.

Serena watched the scene, confused as to what was happening. Ash seemed to be in pain when Greninja was struggling. Almost as if they were the same entity.

Greninja gave it a few more pushes before he felt a sudden burst of power, giving him the strength to completely engulf the fire in water, drenching the three Pyroar as both he and Ash screamed in pain.

Suddenly, Greninja was engulfed in a tower of spinning water, not emerging but still able to attack.

Ash fell backwards, laying on his back, Serena seriously worried about him as she continued to battle, protecting both her boyfriend and Greninja.

"Use Bite on the same Duskull as before!" Serena commanded, watching Sylveon comply and rush over to the Duskull, biting it hard, making it faint. "Are you okay, Ash?" Serena called, to which Ash nodded.

"I'm fine," he said slowly, panting a little as he stood up. "Water Pulse on the Pyroar again!" He commanded Greninja, who, in a matter of seconds, engulfed the three Pyroar and the two Houndoom in water, letting them emerge a second later having fainted.

Ash and Serena looked at each other in shock, unable to believe that Greninja had succeeded so quickly.

"Swift on Gyarados!" Serena shouted, to which Sylveon did so, making the Water-Flying type faint.

"Use Smack Down on a Duskull!" Ash commanded, to which Greninja did so, hitting the Duskull with a rock, making it a little disoriented.

"Finish that one with Bite!" Serena shouted, to which Sylveon attacked the same Duskull, biting it and making it faint.

"Now, use Water Pulse!" Ash shouted, watching Greninja send a powerful burst of water towards the final Duskull, making it faint when the attack collided.

The grunts looked at each other, unsure what to do before running past Ash and Serena, taking a few random turns in an attempt to escape them, scared for their lives.

Ash fell backwards. "What happened?" He asked Serena, who shrugged.

"I don't know," she replied, seeing that the water surrounding Greninja had disappeared.

Serena pulled Ash up and onto his feet, sighing a little as she realised that they were going to have to deal with more insane battles.

"Are you okay?" Serena asked him, to which Ash nodded, smiling at her before giving her a quick peck on the lips.

"I'm happy," he said. "Greninja is much stronger when he's like that," Ash said, making Serena nod.

"If you two can do that again, this will be easier for us," Serena stated, happy with the discovery.

"What's the plan?" Ash asked her, to which she shrugged as a response.

"I don't know what we can do," Serena responded, placing a hand on her hip. "I don't know if we should try to leave and get help or if we should stay here and try to find out what they're doing."

"I'm sure that the police will be here soon, anyway," Ash said, to which Serena agreed, realising that the police wouldn't overlook this situation.

"So," Serena started. "We should keep going?" She asked.

Ash nodded before he returned Greninja to his Pokéball. "We should," he said before he and Serena continued to make their way through Team Flare's base.

* * *

 **I hope you guys are starting to like the story even more by now! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

They continued to walk down the barren hallways, taking a few moments to check for any Team Flare grunts when they passed by every door, only to find empty rooms.

"I think it's weird that we haven't come across any other grunts," Serena said, looking over at Ash.

Ash nodded as a response. "It is," he said before chuckling a little. "What are the chances that the twelve grunts we battled five minutes ago are the only ones here?" Ash asked Serena, making her giggle a little before they heard a deep voice.

"Very slim," the man said, walking out from behind the open door he was hiding behind, prompting four women to also step out from their covers.

Ash and Serena took a step back, a little shocked by the sudden appearance of five, powerful-looking foes.

The man sent out a Crobat and a Malamar, making Ash and Serena throw out their Pokémon, Serena releasing Delphox while Ash released Trevenant.

The women watched as Ash and Serena stared at Xerosic, their boss. Xerosic was the admin of the admins, the second in charge, meaning that he was one of the strongest, if not, the second strongest in the team.

"Use Air Slash on Trevenant!" Xerosic commanded, to which Crobat flew forwards, prompting Ash to shout at Trevenant to dodge and counter Crobat's attack with Feint Attack.

Trevenant struck Crobat before Serena started to attack Crobat, too, telling Delphox to attack with Psybeam, to which her starter complied, sending a beam of glowing purple energy towards Crobat, engulfing it for a few seconds, letting it emerge after losing half of his health.

"X-Scissor!" Xerosic exclaimed, pointing at Delphox, to which Crobat zoomed forwards, using its wings to slash at Delphox, cutting her a little.

"Finish Crobat with Shadow Claw!" Ash exclaimed before he watched Trevenant slide over to Crobat and smack it, stabbing the bat-like Pokémon through the chest with the dark energy, making it fall out of the air and land on the ground, fainted.

"Retaliate on Delphox!" Xerosic shouted, to which Ash and Serena looked over at him, a little shocked. Neither of them had an idea about how they were going to counter Malamar's attack without Delphox inevitably fainting.

"Use Flamethrower!" Serena exclaimed, deciding that if she were able to make Malamar faint before the attack would hit Delphox, it would be a valid way of preventing Delphox from fainting.

Ash, catching on to Serena's idea, ordered Trevenant to attack Malamar with Phantom Force, to which Trevenant complied and sent the attack towards Malamar as Delphox released her Flamethrower.

Both attacks struck Malamar and sent it flying backwards and into a wall, creating a dent in the concrete as the Pokémon fainted.

Xerosic grunted as he returned his two Pokémon, annoyed at the fact that he hadn't been able to make either one of his opponent's Pokémon faint.

"Don't worry, Xerosic," one of the women piped up before stepping forwards. "I'll take them down!"

"You better, Aliana!" Xerosic growled, walking over to a wall before slumping down next to it, eager to watch their opponents die.

"I'll join in as well!" Another woman shouted, rushing forwards before the other two agreed and joined their friends.

"Thanks, Bryony, Celosia, Mable," Aliana listed, smirking as she looked at Ash and Serena, who returned their slightly injured Pokémon.

"If you're all fighting us at once," Ash started, releasing Talonflame, Gallade and Goodra. "Then we're using four Pokémon each," he finished, letting Pikachu jump off of his shoulder and join his teammates.

Serena nodded before she released Roserade, Absol, Milotic and Nidoqueen, to which the four women released their Pokémon: Mightyena, Druddigon, Liepard, Bisharp, Manectric, Drapion, Houndoom and Weavile.

"How should we go about this?" Serena whispered to Ash, who shrugged before starting the battle.

"Goodra!" Ash exclaimed. "Use Dragon Pulse on Druddigon!" He finished, watching Goodra start to power up the attack while Serena decided on what she was going to do.

"Absol!" Serena started, looking down at her mega bracelet, hoping that it would work. "Help us beat them and save the world with your mega form!" She shouted. "Mega-evolve!"

A beam of light fired from Serena's mage bracelet, weaving through the air before wrapping around Absol, starting to engulf its legs before it made it to Absol's head, covering it.

After a second of waiting, the light exploded, revealing Absol's mega form; a beautiful figure, with large, white wings protruding from both sides, allowing minor flight if Absol wished to soar through the air a metre above the ground.

Ash and Serena looked at Absol, both of them pleased that they had the powerful Pokémon fighting for them.

"Drapion! Use Night Slash on Goodra!" Celosia commanded, to which Drapion started to quickly make its way towards Goodra, to which Serena noticed and reacted.

"Use Grass Whistle on Drapion, Roserade!" Serena exclaimed, watching Roserade whistle, sending small particles of grass flying towards Drapion which entered its nose and ears, tickling its brain until it fell asleep.

Drapion fell over, landing a few metres away from Goodra, making Goodra look at Drapion for a moment, smirking before looking and firing the Dragon Pulse at Druddigon, striking it in the head, making it fall backwards.

"Double Kick on Drapion, Nidoqueen!" Serena ordered, hoping that Nidoqueen would be able to deal enough damage to Drapion before it could wake up.

"Weavile! Use Ice Shard on Nidoqueen!" Mable shouted, pointing at Nidoqueen. "And make sure you're quick!"

Weavile conjured a few spikes of ice and proceeded to throw them at Nidoqueen, striking her and making her fall over, prompting Ash to give one of his Pokémon a command to help her.

"Gallade, use Disarming Voice on Weavile!" Ash commanded, to which Gallade proceeded to shout at Weavile, making it stagger back a little from the noise. "Now, use Magical Leaf on Weavile to distract it!" Ash shouted before Gallade obliged and threw a handful of sharp leaves at Weavile, which surrounded it and kept slashing and cutting into it.

Ash turned to Talonflame, giving it a nod before ordering it to use Acrobatics on Weavile, to which Talonflame responded by obliging, flying over to Weavile before smacking it a few times, making sure to dodge the sharp leaves.

"Milotic!" Serena started. "Use Hydro Pump on Houndoom!" She shouted, making Milotic comply, charging up the powerful attack before releasing a cannons-worth of water from her mouth, sending it directly towards Houndoom.

"Bisharp! Jump in the way of the attack!" Bryony commanded, making Bishop do as she said, jumping in the way of the attack, making it so that none of the water touched Houndoom, but had damaged Bisharp a decent amount. It clung on to life, however, as it was a Steel-type going up against a Water-type attack.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted, gaining the attention of his partner and best friend. "Use Thunderbolt on Bisharp to finish it off!"

Pikachu ran forwards before using Nidoqueen as a stepping stone to jump into the air, proceeding to perform a backflip as he charged up the Electric-type attack.

"Roserade!" Serena shouted. "Use Giga Drain on Manectric and use Grass Whistle on Druddigon!" She commanded, to which Roserade complied, attacking Manectric and putting Druddigon to sleep.

While Roserade was dealing a small amount of damage to Manectric, Pikachu's Thunderbolt made contact with Bisharp, knocking it unconscious, prompting the four women to take the battle a little more seriously than they originally were.

"Liepard!" Bryony shouted, gaining her final Pokémon's attention. "Use Slash on Pikachu!"

Liepard started to bound towards Pikachu, speeding up with every step before finally striking the yellow mouse, sending Pikachu flying across the room.

"Use Body Slam on Liepard, Goodra!" Ash shouted, a little concerned for Pikachu as he hadn't been in many battles recently.

Goodra jumped into the air before it came crashing down on top of Liepard, crushing it against the floor, almost knocking it out before Liepard kicked itself free.

"Flamethrower on Goodra!" Mable shouted to her Houndoom, watching the demon-dog take a deep breath before unleashing the flames from its mouth, sending them towards Goodra, engulfing it and giving Liepard some extra time to put some distance between them.

"Use Bubble on yourself!" Ash commanded, to which Goodra fired bubbles into the air, putting the fire out when the water fell onto Goodra.

"Milotic!" Serena shouted, realising that Bisharp wasn't there to protect Houndoom anymore. "Use Hydro Pump on Houndoom again!"

Milotic complied, sending water towards Houndoom, who lowered its head, accepting its fate, fainting when the water made contact.

As Houndoom fainted, Druddigon regained consciousness and set its sights on Goodra, to which its trainer, Aliana, noticed. "Use Dragon Claw on Goodra!" She shouted, to which Druddigon slid over to Goodra and slashed it, making Goodra cry out in pain.

"Absol! Use Psycho Cut!" Serena screamed when she saw what was happening, prompting Absol to rush over and slash Druddigon, dealing the last amount of damage that Druddigon could handle, making it faint.

Drapion, like Druddigon, regained consciousness and looked around for a moment before its trainer, Celosia, ordered it to make a move. "Use X-Scissor on Roserade!"

Ash and Serena noticed prompting Ash to have Pikachu rush over to Drapion and attack it with Iron Tail, slamming it on the head and making Drapion crash into the ground.

"Finish Drapion with Fury Swipes, Nidoqueen!" Serena commanded, to which Nidoqueen jumped over and slashed Drapion multiple times, making it faint.

"Who should we attack now?" Serena whispered to Ash, to which he chuckled a little.

"Liepard," Ash whispered back before Serena turned to Absol.

"Absol!" She started. "Use Razor Wind on Liepard!" She finished, watching as her angelic Pokémon glided over to Liepard and flapped its wings, creating vicious wind which stabbed and slashed at Liepard, making it slowly curl up until it fainted.

"Manectric! Use Thunderbolt on Talonflame!" Celosia commanded, to which Manectric obliged, charging the attack before sending it towards Talonflame, worrying Ash and Serena.

"Nidoqueen!" Serena exclaimed. "Jump in the way of that Thunderbolt!" She commanded, to which Nidoqueen ran over and dove in the way of the electricity, remaining unaffected because she was partly a Ground-type. "Now use Bite on Manectric!"

Nidoqueen sprinted over before clamping both of her jaws on Manectric's head, shaking it around before throwing it across the room.

"Use Iron Tail to bat it back, Pikachu!" Ash commanded, seeing that Manectric was flying in his direction.

Pikachu jumped in the air before his tail turned to metal, spinning around and smacking Manectric, sending it back to where Nidoqueen was.

Manectric landed on the floor, rolling over a few times before shakingly standing up.

"Finish Manectric with Dragon Tail, Milotic!" Serena commanded, watching Milotic spin before launching Manectric across the room again with her tail, making Manectric slam into a wall and slide down unconscious.

"We only have two more Pokémon to battle now, Ash!" Serena exclaimed, to which they both turned their attention to Aliana's Mightyena and Mable's Weavile.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena stared at Mightyena and Weavile for a moment before they continued the battle.

"Nidoqueen!" Serena started. "Use Double Kick on Weavile!" She commanded, to which Nidoqueen obliged, rushing over to Weavile and striking it multiple times.

"Gallade! Use Magical Leaf on Mightyena!" Ash shouted, to which Gallade conjured some sharp leaves and sent them flying towards Mightyena, engulfing the wolf in the shower of green leaves. "Talonflame! Use Razor Wind on Weavile!"

Talonflame flew over to Weavile before flapping its wings a few times, slashing Weavile with the sharp wind that its wing flapping produced.

"Use Ice Shard on Nidoqueen and Talonflame!" Mable commanded, watching Weavile as it complied, sending the sharp ice towards the two Pokémon, striking them both and making them both fall back, having almost fainted from the super-effective attack.

"Mightyena! Attack Roserade with Crunch!" Aliana commanded, to which Mightyena bounded over to Roserade and grabbed him, shaking him about before throwing him across the room.

"Gallade! Make a soft landing for Roserade with Magical Leaf!" Ash commanded, watching Gallade conjure a hefty amount of leaves, piling them on the floor before Roserade landed on them, not being hurt by the fall.

"Milotic! Use Aqua Tail on Mightyena!" Serena shouted, to which Milotic spun around and slammed her tail into Mightyena, sending it rolling across the room, pained.

"Finish Mightyena with Power Whip!" Ash commanded Goodra, to which Goodra grabbed some of its goo and made a whip, using it to hit Mightyena from across the room, eventually causing it to faint.

"Weavile!" Mable shouted, starting to get worried. "Use Night Slash on Gallade!"

Weavile ran over to Gallade, its claw at the ready before it slashed at Gallade, damaging it.

"Pikachu! Finish Weavile with Iron Tail!" Ash shouted, to which Pikachu ran over, jumping into the air as his tail turned to iron before he smacked Weavile on the head, making it fall over, fainted.

The four women took a few steps back as they returned their Pokémon, shaking a little.

Ash and Serena tend to their Pokémon before they returned them and looked at the women and Xerosic. "Tell us," Ash said. "Who's the boss here?"

"Lysandre!" Xerosic exclaimed, scared. "He's down the hall and through the big doors!" He confessed before he and the four women ran in the same direction as Lysandre, pushing the doors open before they slammed them, making Ash and Serena laugh.

"It's funny how scared they get when their Pokémon are defeated," Serena said, looking at Ash, giggling.

Ash and Serena took a few deep breaths, preparing themselves mentally and physically for what seemed like it would be a confrontation with Lysandre.

They started walking down the hall and towards the big doors that the admins pointed then towards and pushed them open when they arrived.

"Here they are," a deep, calm voice stated when Ash and Serena entered. "Hold back for a minute."

Ash and Serena looked around. To their horror, they could see an approximated number of thirty Team Flare grunts surrounding them.

"Welcome to your imminent death," Lysandre said, laughing maniacally when all thirty of the grunts released their Pokèmon, a collection of Mightyena, Raticate, Banette, Duskull, Haunter and Arbok.

Ash and Serena quickly released a Pokèmon each, noticing that the Pokèmon they were about to battle with were substantially weaker than their team members. Ash released Greninja while Serena released Absol, staring at the enemies.

"More battling?" Greninja asked Ash, turning to face him, clearly annoyed. "When will they stop being a nuisance?"

Ash shrugged, chuckling a little before he saw Lysandre walk through the crowd of grunts, heading behind the group and walking up a staircase before he proceeded to sit down on what resembled a throne.

"Kill them," he said, looking at his grunts before he turned his attention to Ash and Serena. "Good luck."

"Absol!" Serena exclaimed, noticing that some of the Pokèmon were looking at Absol as if she were a snack. "Mega evolve!"

Like what happened earlier, light erupted from Serena's mega bracelet and flew towards Absol, which engulfed her for a few moments until it faded, revealing Absol's mega form.

Ash looked at Greninja, the frog-like Pokèmon looking back at him before they nodded at each other and Greninja was engulfed in water like before. However, this time, with both Ash and Greninja screaming, Greninja emerged looking different.

"What the hell is that thing?" Lysandre asked, observing Greninja's new form with a smirk.

Greninja looked relatively like Ash. His hair resembled Ash's along with the two marks on either cheek. However, what was completely new was the giant 'x' on his back, which appeared to be silk or another see-through material.

"Crush them and take that Greninja!" Lysandre shouted, urging the grunts to attack.

"Not so fast," Ash said, a little lightheaded after Greninja's transformation. "You haven't seen what we can do yet."

With that, Ash instructed Greninja to attack a Mightyena with Quick Attack.

Greninja rushed forwards and slammed into Mightyena with a spin, sending it flying across the room.

"Now use Smack Down on it!" Ash shouted, to which Greninja conjured a rock and threw it at Mightyena, Ash copying his movements as he did so.

The rock collided with Mightyena and knocked it out, to which the grunts looked at each other, a little scared. Those were two moves with a low damage rate.

Everyone looked at Ash and Greninja, Serena included, smiling at Ash as she knew that she would be safe with him.

"Use Water Pulse on as many of them as you can!" Ash commanded, to which Greninja obliged and blew a large amount of water at a few of the Duskull, drenching them and dealing a hefty amount of damage.

The grunts watched Ash as he and his Greninja wiped out another Mightyena with another Water Pulse, prompting Serena to join in.

"Absol! Use Night Slash on each Duskull!" Serena commanded, curious to see if Absol could finish the Ghost-types off.

Absol rushed forward, her legs a deep black before she swiped and slashed at the Duskull, knocking two of them out, leaving three more.

"Finish them with Psycho Cut!" Serena shouted, to which Absol obliged and slashed the last three Duskull, knocking them unconscious.

Ash and Greninja stopped attacking for a moment, looking up at Lysandre to see if he was going to call off the attack. Instead, he smirked despite seeing that his grunts had lost a fifth of their Pokèmon.

Taking that as a "go ahead," Ash and Greninja continued their attack, fainting all of Raticate with a few Quick Attacks and Smack Downs before they noticed that the grunts weren't attacking back.

Sensing that something was off, Ash signalled to Serena and Absol to stop attacking after they had knocked out two Banette and an Arbok.

"Is there something wrong?" Lysandre asked Ash and Serena, smirking when they stared at him, trying to figure out what the menacing man was planning.

The grunts, seeing their opportunity, ran out of the room, taking their Pokèmon with them, confusing Ash and Serena.

"Did you, perhaps, see through my plan?" Lysandre asked them, to which Ash and Serena released the rest of their Pokèmon, cautious about leaving part of the room unwatched.

After a few moments of silence, Ash heard a faint whirring in the distance, confusing him a little. He pointed it out to Serena, who had made her way closer to Ash, only for her to shrug, saying that she couldn't hear anything.

Lysandre stood up before he lifted his hands into the air, showing that he had a remote control in his grasp.

"What does that control?" Ash called out to him, curious but annoyed. "Your automatic ass scratcher?"

Lysandre smiled a little, amused by Ash's humour. "No," he replied, letting his smile morph into a sadistic grin. "It's a self-destruction device."

Ash and Serena stared at him, a little worried but also doubtful. If it were a self-destruction device, what would it blow up? The base? Would he dare to destroy all of this work?

"Yes, I will happily destroy this place," Lysandre piped up, almost seeming to be able to read their thoughts. "My work here is done."

"Work?" Ash asked, confused. "You've only stolen Pokèmon."

"That gun," Lysandre said, to which Ash and Serena looked at each other. "You think it fell over, don't you?"

Ash and Serena nodded, clenching their fists as they thought about what could have possibly happened.

"It never fell over," Lysandre said, laughing a little. "It changed its aim from the sky to the rest of the building."

"What is that going to do, anyway?" Ash asked, confused. "If it's a regular gun-"

"It isn't a regular gun," Lysandre cut across him. "That is the ultimate weapon. The legendary weapon that AZ crafted. I wanted to fire it into the air and let the projectile come back down."

"And destroy Earth," Serena finished, having grasped what he was going to say next.

Lysandre nodded. "However," he said. "Now that it's pointing at the rest of the building, this will be destroyed when it fires along with the rest of Kalos and whatever remains before the Earth curves away."

Ash grunted, annoyed that either way, Lysandre would win. He wouldn't be able to destroy all of Earth, but he would practically create a second Grand Canyon in Kalos' place.

"Pikachu," Ash whispered, gaining his best friends attention. "Try to sneak closer to Lysandre and use Iron Tail on the device," he commanded, to which Pikachu gave him a thumbs up and started to chase his tail, catching Lysandre's attention.

Lysandre started laughing when he saw Pikachu. "Look at that!" He exclaimed, amused. "Your Pokèmon don't even want to stay focused on protecting you!"

Lysandre raised his head to face the roof, laughing as he clutched his stomach with his right hand, letting the device stay away from him in case he accidentally pressed the button.

While Lysandre laughed, Pikachu started to slowly make his way closer to Lysandre, chasing his tail the whole time, making it appear as if he was gradually heading in that direction while he focused on his tail.

"I have to ask," Ash said, catching Lysandre's attention to buy Pikachu some more time. "Are you going to press that button regardless? Or will you try to eliminate us first?"

Lysandre caught his breath before answering Ash's question. "I'm not stupid," he said. "I won't press this button if I can get rid of you."

"You are very stupid, actually," Ash said, smirking, making Lysandre confused before he went pale, realising what Ash and Pikachu's plan was.

Before Lysandre had time to react, Pikachu jumped forward, slamming his hardened tail into the side of the device, splitting it in half and ruining the wiring of it, leaving it destroyed.

Lysandre attempted to punch Pikachu, wanting to get the yellow mouse away from him, only to be shocked by Pikachu.

"Now!" Lysandre shouted, to which an army of Pokèmon rushed into the room from various angles.

There was a Froslass, Gengar, Charizard, Garchomp, Druddigon, Rapisash and a Tyranitar stood in front of Ash and Serena, making them sigh before they prepared to attack.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena looked at the Pokèmon in front of them, confused as to where they all came from while simultaneously annoyed at the fact that they had to battle more.

"Greninja," Ash said, sighing. "Use Water Pulse on Rapidash."

Greninja obliged, sending a whirlpool of water out of his mouth and towards Rapidash, engulfing the horse in the liquid.

"Sylveon, use Draining Kiss on Garchomp!" Serena commanded, watching Sylveon blow a kiss to Garchomp which struck the plane-like dragon in the forehead, draining some of its health.

"Dragon Pulse on Goodra, Garchomp!" Lysandre shouted, to which Garchomp obliged and charged the attack, sending it flying towards Goodra.

"Pikachu! Bat it away with Iron Tail!" Ash instructed, watching Pikachu do as he said, sending the Dragon Pulse flying into Charizard. "Now use Thunderbolt on Charizard!"

Again, Pikachu obliged and attacked, striking the orange, dragon-like Pokèmon in the wing with the electricity, sending it spinning to the side.

"Psycho Cut on Gengar, Absol!" Serena commanded, watching Absol rush over before Ash had Gallade join in.

"You, too, Gallade!" He shouted, to which Absol and Gallade rushed towards Gengar together, striking it on either side with the super-effective move.

"Ice Beam on Absol, Froslass!" Lysandre instructed. "And Rapidash, use Flamethrower on Gallade!"

Both moves collided, pleasing Lysandre but letting Ash and Serena counter with twice the force.

"Greninja!" Ash shouted, feeling his connection with the Pokèmon getting stronger. "Throw that Shuriken at Gengar!" He commanded, to which Greninja obliged.

Seeing out of Greninja's eyes, Ash watched as Greninja threw the shuriken at Gengar, making the shuriken blow up and send water everywhere.

The water was powerful enough to extinguish Rapidash's Flamethrower, giving Gallade and Absol time to jump back.

"Hit Froslass with Night Slash!" Serena commanded Absol, to which Absol darted towards Froslass and slashed her, stopping the Ice Beam and sending the icy-ghost backwards.

"Gengar!" Lysandre shouted. "Shadow Ball on Gallade!"

Gengar conjured the attack and prepared to send it flying towards Gallade before Froslass stood up and used her own Shadow Ball on Gengar, stopping the attack and making Gengar faint.

"What are you doing?!" Lysandre screamed, frustrated with Froslass. "You're fighting them, not me!"

"What's happening?" Ash asked Serena, who shrugged, unsure.

Froslass proceeded to use Ice Beam on Charizard, damaging it and freezing it in place, allowing Ash and Serena to attack if they wished, which Serena did.

"Delphox! Use Psybeam on Charizard to finish it off!" Serena exclaimed, watching her starter do as she asked, making Charizard faint.

"Greninja, finish Rapidash with Water Pulse!" Ash instructed, to which Greninja obliged and made the horse-like Pokèmon faint.

"Froslass!" Lysandre shouted, still trying to get his Pokèmon to listen. "Please!"

However, Froslass continued to disobey, helping Ash and Serena defeat the other Pokèmon, attacking Druddigon with Ice Beam, dealing a lot of damage.

"Roserade!" Serena shouted, getting the Grass-type's attention. "Use Grass Whistle on Garchomp!"

Roserade obliged, putting the giant Pokèmon to sleep, leaving it to lay on the ground before Serena had Nidoqueen use Poison Point on Garchomp.

"Use Phantom Force on Tyranitar, Trevenant!" Ash ordered, to which Trevenant obliged, attacking while Ash turned to Pikachu. "Use Iron Tail on Garchomp!"

Pikachu ran towards Garchomp before leaping into the air, spinning around until his tail was pure iron before he slammed it into Garchomp's head.

"Tyranitar, use Dark Pulse on Absol!" Lysandre shouted, knowing full well that he was going to lose the battle.

"Counter it with Night Slash!" Serena instructed, to which Absol slashed the energy in half when it got close enough, rendering the attack useless.

Froslass used Wake-up-slap on Garchomp, waking it from his slumber, but inflicting twice the amount of regular damage, leaving it close to fainting.

"Nidoqueen!" Serena shouted. "Use Bite on Garchomp!" She commanded, to which Nidoqueen complied and attacked Garchomp, making it faint.

Now with only Tyranitar and Druddigon left, Lysandre knew that he had no choice but to try to create a diversion to escape. However, he also knew that it would be very tricky to pull off as he watched Ash command his Goodra to attack Druddigon with Dragon Pulse, making it faint.

Froslass used another Ice Beam on Tyranitar, leaving it close to fainting before Serena had Roserade finish it off with Magical Leaf.

"You have nowhere to run, Lysandre," Ash called out to him before sighing. "As long as you don't have another cluster of Pokèmon."

Lysandre smirked, attempting to look as if he knew what to do, but in fact, had no clue. He noticed that Froslass has turned her attention to him and started to power an Ice Beam attack and turned to run.

"No, you don't!" Serena shouted, grabbing Ash's hand before they started to go and chase him out of the room and through a smaller door, returning their Pokémon except for Greninja and Absol as they ran.

They burst into another laboratory at the back of the base, stopping as they looked at what surrounded them; test tubes filled with Pokèmon.

"What have you done to them?!" Ash screamed in anger, quickly rushing over to a tube, punching the glass until his hand hurt.

"You won't break them like that," Lysandre said, chuckling. "You'll need a code to open them."

"What's the code, arsehole?" Ash asked him, to which Lysandre raised an eyebrow.

"Be careful about your language when you're around children," Lysandre said, slyly smiling as he watched Ash and Serena get confused, looking around before they saw that a portion of the test tubes in the room contained children.

Freaking out more than before, Ash had Pikachu use Iron Tail to try and smash the glass to no avail.

"Give us the code!" Serena screamed, starting to get frantic, which was evident by the fact that she ran over to Lysandre and slapped him, grabbing his jacket in search of a piece of paper with the code written on it.

"You'll only get it out of me if you can convince me to give it to you," Lysandre said, smug, knowing that they would never get the code out of him. However, they could hear footsteps above them, fast and heavy.

"What's that?" Ash wondered, looking up at the ceiling to see a small amount of dust fall.

"They're here for me," Lysandre realised, a look of dread and horror on his face as he turned to run more, only for Ash to tackle him to the ground.

"Do something that isn't evil for once," Ash said to him, hoping that it would be enough to convince Lysandre.

"Why should I?" He asked, scared for his life.

"Because your name won't be as bad if you free them," Ash said before he had an idea. "Maybe you won't be killed if you let them out."

Lysandre thought about it for a moment before nodding, telling Ash and Serena that he would input the code into the main computer which would open all of the tubes.

Ash climbed off him, letting Lysandre get up and walk over to the computer, quickly inputting a code before running away.

The test tubes flew open, letting the Pokèmon and children fall out and taste fresh air.

"Are you okay?" Ash and Serena asked the kids and Pokèmon, to which they nodded.

Ash and Serena gathered the kids and the Pokèmon before a voice came from all around them: "Self-destruct sequence enabled. Self-destruction taking place in five minutes."

Ash and Serena looked at each other, horrified. They quickly grabbed handfuls of Pokèballs from their bags and explained to them that they would survive by being caught.

The Pokémon decided to let Ash and Serena capture them and head to Sycamore's lab via teleportation.

"Catch me and use me on your team," Froslass said, addressing Serena, who looked at her for a moment before nodding.

"Okay," she said, using her Pokèdex to send Nidoqueen to the lab before capturing Froslass.

Ash and Serena turned to run after Sycamore with the kids as Serena's Pokèdex rang out, announcing Froslass' statistics.

"Froslass, the Snow Land Pokèmon. When it finds humans or Pokémon it likes, it freezes them and takes them to its chilly den, where they become decorations. Its moves are Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball, Wake-up-slap. Its ability is Snow Cloak."

The voice rang out again; "Self-destruction taking place in four minutes."

Ash and Serena burst through another set of doors to find Lysandre desperately typing on a computer with the two Kalosian legendary Pokèmon Xerneas and Yveltal in two more test tubes.

"You like test tubes, don't you?" Ash called out to Lysandre, the kids cowering behind Ash and Serena in fear of the man who kidnapped them.

Lysandre pressed a button, letting Xerneas and Yveltal clamber out of the tubes. "Get me out of here, you too!" Lysandre instructed before heading over to Yveltal and climbing onto his back.

"Don't carry him away!" Serena screamed, waving her arms in the air to catch the attention of the legendary Pokémon.

Yveltal and Xerneas winked at Ash and Serena, confusing them before the two legendaries who were said to be enemies grabbed onto each other while Yveltal flew upwards and out of an opening.

Again, the voice rang out; "Self-destruction taking place in three minutes."

Ash rushed over to the computer, seeing a blueprint of the building which clearly showed a staircase behind a wall.

Ash signalled for Serena and the kids to follow him, rushing over to where the wall was, pushing against it. "It won't budge," Ash mumbled, annoyed. "Pikachu!"

"Got it!" Pikachu said, jumping off of Ash's shoulder, jumping into the air, using Iron Tail, slamming his tail into the wall multiple times, slowly chipping away at it.

Ash and Serena released the rest of their Pokèmon and told them to attack the wall, to which they compiled. Greninja used Water Pulse, Talonflame used Razor Wind, Gallade used Psycho Cut, Goodra used Dragon Pulse, Trevenant used Shadow Claw, Delphox used Psybeam, Roserade used Magical Leaf, Absol used Night Slash, Sylveon used Swift, Froslass used Ice Beam.

All of the attacks combined weakened the wall enough for Pikachu to slam through it with one more Iron Tail, sending debris everywhere but revealing the staircase.

The voice echoed around them; "Self-destruction taking place in two minutes."

Ash and Serena returned all of their Pokèmon, only letting Pikachu stay on Ash's shoulder in case there was another obstacle.

They ran up the stairs which seemed to be endless, not daring to slow down in fear of the building blowing up with them still inside.

Ash and Serena had to pick up one of the kids each as they were too tired to keep running, but let the other children continue to run as they assured Ash and Serena that they were capable of running the whole way.

The voice rang out again; "self-destruction taking place in one minute," urging them to run faster before they saw daylight at the top of the stairs.

They burst out of the building, emerging at the edge of Geosenge, running out of the town to where everyone else was.

"Where's Lysandre?!" Ash shouted, to which everyone pointed towards the front of the crowd.

Ash and Serena left the kids in the crowd, telling them that they were safe with the other people before they rushed to the front to see Lysandre stood next to Yveltal and Xerneas.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena stared at Lysandre, who stood there, a smug look on his face.

"You two are like parasites," Lysandre told Ash and Serena. "Annoying."

"We never truly die, either," Ash said, making Lysandre grunt a little under his breath moments before an explosion erupted from behind the crowd, making everyone turn around to see Geosenge town in the air and falling back down to Earth in multiple small pieces.

The crowd screamed and watched in horror as their homes burned, turning to look at Lysandre, screaming and shouting about how they were going to kill him.

"You've crossed the line multiple times, Lysandre," Ash said, pointing at Yveltal and Xerneas. "But this is the last time."

With that, Yveltal flew into the air and turned around to face Lysandre, letting Xerneas rush away from him before Yveltal fired a Dark Pulse at Lysandre.

Lysandre jumped out of the way. "What are you doing?!" He shouted, realising that it was the second time in fifteen minutes that one of his Pokémon disobeyed him. He released a Pyroar and ordered the Pokémon to use Fire Blast before releasing a Gyarados, Meinshao and a Honchcrow.

Ash and Serena quickly released Greninja and Sylveon and rushed over to help Yveltal, Xerneas also rushing over.

"We'll focus on one each!" Ash informed Serena, Yveltal and Xerneas before ordering Greninja to use Extrasensory on Mienshao.

Greninja obliged, placing both hands to his head and focusing as hard as he could on damaging Meinshao, to which he succeeded as Sylveon attacked Honchcrow with Swift.

Yveltal dodged Pyroar's Fire Blast, proceeding to retaliate with Psychic, damaging Pyroar before swooping in to attack with Dragon Rush.

Xerneas rushed over to Gyarados and attacked it with Aurora Beam, freezing Gyarados in place before attacking again with Night Slash followed by Megahorn.

"Greninja!" Ash shouted. "Let's do that thing again!" Ash told him, to which Greninja nodded before they went through the process of transforming into a more powerful version of Greninja.

The crowd gazed at Greninja in awe as Greninja's attack made contact with Mienshao, making it stumble back a little bit.

Xerneas attacked Gyarados again with Megahorn, making it faint while Yveltal fainted Pyroar with the Dragon Rush, leaving only Mienshao and Honchcrow left to protect Lysandre.

"Sylveon!" Serena shouted. "Finish it with Draining Kiss!" She commanded, to which Sylveon blew a kiss at Honchcrow which drained its life, making it faint.

"End this with that shuriken!" Ash instructed, watching Greninja jump into the air and spin around before throwing the shuriken at Mienshao, all the while copying the movements.

Mienshao fell the ground, Lysandre looking around at the last of his Pokèmon. "Get up!" He pleaded, getting frantic.

"This is over, Lysandre," Ash said, smirking a little like Lysandre always did to add salt to the wound.

For the final time, Lysandre attempted to run, only to find that the crowd had formed a circle, surrounding him, Ash, Serena, their Pokèmon and the two legendary beasts.

"You two can do what you wish to him," Serena told Yveltal and Xerneas, to which they looked at each other before Yveltal picked Lysandre up from the floor and threw him into the crowd, deciding to let the inhabitants on Geosenge get revenge for what he did to the town.

Ash and Serena laughed a little at this, seeing everyone rush over to hit him at least once.

Yveltal and Xerneas went over to Ash and Serena, staring at them for a minute before stating that they wanted Ash and Serena to capture them.

"What?!" Ash and Serena exclaimed in unison, shocked and confused. "Why?"

"We admire you two," Xerneas said, bowing a little to Serena. "I want to go with you."

"Why me?" Serena asked, flattered but still confused.

"Because you radiate a good aura. I can tell that I will become good friends with you," Xerneas explained, which made Serena feel a little guilty.

"Well," Serena said, unable to think of a way to explain what she was thinking. "I would love it if you were my Pokèmon, but I already have a Fairy-type on my team, and she's my best friend," Serena explained, gesturing to Sylveon who nervously waved.

"I understand," Xerneas said, smiling. "How about the laboratory?"

"What do you mean?" Serena asked, a little confused.

"If you capture me, I could stay with the person who takes care of your Pokémon," Xerneas said.

"Oh, Professor Sycamore!" Serena exclaimed, understanding what Xerneas meant.

"I could go there," Xerneas said. "And I wouldn't mind helping with experiments if it helps."

"I'm sure that would help a lot!" Serena said, happy with Xerneas' idea, pulling out a Pokéball before letting Xerneas tap its head onto the ball.

The ball shook three times before stopping, stars erupting from the top before the ball teleported to Sycamore's lab.

"Ash," Yveltal said, catching his attention. "Catch me and use me on your team," it instructed, shocking Ash a little.

"What's so good about me?" He asked, to which Yveltal laughed a little, realising that both Ash and Serena were modest.

"I know that you're going to battle in the Pokémon league," he said. "A trainer with a strong team like you wouldn't decide to stay away from the biggest tournament in the region."

"And you want to help me win?" Ash asked, to which Yveltal nodded.

"I also want to be one of your best friends," Yveltal told him, to which Ash nodded, happy with that before he pulled out his Pokédex and used it to send Goodra to the lab.

"Come on, then," Ash said, pulling out a Pokéball before tapping Yveltal on the wing with it, letting the ball drop to the floor as Yveltal was absorbed by it.

The ball shook three times and stopped, stars erupting from the top before Ash grabbed the ball and attached it to his belt while his Pokédex gave him the information about Yveltal.

"Yveltal, the Destruction Pokémon. When its life comes to an end, it absorbs the life energy of every living thing and turns into a cocoon once more. This Yveltal is male. Its moves are Psychic, Dragon Rush, Dark Pulse and Phantom Force. Its ability is Dark Aura."

"How come my Pokédex didn't tell me Xerneas' details?" Serena asked Ash, to which he explained.

"You aren't using Xerneas on your team, at least straight away, so it won't bother telling you," Ash told her, to which Serena nodded, understanding.

"What do we do now?" Serena asked, looking through the crowd to see that Lysandre was laying on the ground unconscious, people still hitting him and the police trying to break it up.

"We'll stop that first," Ash said, rushing over and shouting at everyone to stop attacking him and to let the police arrest Lysandre, to which they all obliged as Ash and Serena did save them all.

The police thanked Ash and Serena profusely before they handcuffed the unconscious Lysandre and threw him into the back of a car, driving away, leaving Geosenge in ruins.

"Come on," Serena said, grabbing Ash's hand. "Let's help to try and clean this up a little," she said, releasing her Pokémon so they could help, something that Ash also did once he saw that Serena did so.

* * *

An hour later and Ash and Serena were still helping to clear up the debris. They and the civilians had decided to neatly stack all of the un-damaged bricks to the side of the town for reuse. They also set all of the broken bricks to one side to be repaired.

After the hour of work, they had cleared a ten-metre radius, quickly realising that it would take at least four months to clear up the area and fill in the hole in the middle of the town.

As they worked, they heard a helicopter land close-by, and, after a few minutes, the champion of the region, Diantha, walked over to everyone while smiling.

"I'm happy to announce that Team Flare has officially been disbanded and arrested," Diantha informed them, making everyone cheer a little, knowing that it would be a while before anything similar would happen.

"Anything else?" Someone asked her, to which he nodded.

"We're going to have a big construction team come here as soon as possible to help fix this, and you all can help if you want," she told them, to which they cheered more. "And you two," she said, pointing at Ash and Serena. "Could you please come with me?"

They nodded before following her back to the helicopter, which took flight when they sat down and started talking.

"We are heading to Lumiose city for you two to appear on television to inform the world about what happened," Diantha informed them before shrugging. "Provided that you want to, of course."

Ash and Serena nodded, smiling at the thought of their parents being able to see that they saved the region from Lysandre.

* * *

As they were flying towards Lumiose city, it was easy to see that the region had calmed down. The defences had retracted to their cities and left the sky barren as opposed to Flying-type Pokémon and planes.

They passed over the western border of Lumiose city before the helicopter started to descend, landing on a rooftop before Diantha, Ash and Serena climbed out and let the helicopter fly away.

"Follow me," Diantha said before leading Ash and Serena into a lift, pressing the button for the ground floor.

"Where are we going?" Serena asked her, to which Diantha shrugged, much to Ash and Serena's amusement.

"I'm not familiar with this area," she said while sighing. "I'll have to ask someone for directions to a broadcasting station."

They left the elevator and the building only to find that they had miraculously landed on a building which was very close to a broadcasting station.

"Let's go," Diantha said, taking Ash and Serena into the building before she talked to an employee. "I need these two to appear on a news broadcast," she told the man. "They are the two who saved Kalos."

The man nodded before he led the three of them up a staircase and into a room with a set for news broadcasting. He gestured to a man and a woman, explaining that they hosted the news and that they would be spending their time with them for the next five or so minutes.

"Thank you for saving everyone," the woman said, smiling at Ash and Serena, who said that anyone would do it if they had the opportunity.

"Are you ready to go live?" The man asked, to which Ash and Serena nodded, taking a seat on the couch next to Diantha as the crew counted down to zero.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena listened intently to the man and the woman asking questions, answering them and being a little sarcastic occasionally in hopes that it wouldn't be too dull for the entire world.

"What happened to the legendary Pokémon after you finished dealing with Lysandre?" The man asked Ash and Serena, intrigued.

Ash and Serena looked at each other for a moment, wondering about what they should say. "I'm not sure about whether we should answer that," Ash said slowly. "For the legendaries' sake."

The man and woman nodded, understanding. "Do you know what's going to happen to Geosenge town and its residents?" The woman asked them to which Ash nodded and Serena shrugged.

"The people of the town will live somewhere else for the time being," Ash said, to which Diantha nodded. "And the town will be rebuilt."

"That's right," she said. "The construction might be done in four years at least," she informed, smiling at the cameras for a moment.

"Could you tell us what happened from the start to the end, please?" The man asked, to which Ash nodded a little, taking a deep breath to prepare.

"We were heading towards Victory Road when we saw the Snowbelle City gym leader battling Team Flare. He proceeded to tell us to go to Geosenge, so we flew there and found an unusual structure in the centre of the town," Ash told them, to which the man and woman nodded.

"What did it look like?" The woman asked, intrigued as she hadn't seen a picture of the structure yet.

"It resembled a giant gun," Serena told her, to which she raised her eyebrows, a little surprised. "We climbed down the hole that it came out of and managed to make it descend."

"Then we battled our way through a lot of the team and found Lysandre," Ash added.

"What was he doing when you found him?" The man asked. "Waiting?"

Ash nodded as a response. "He was, in fact," he said, looking over at Serena.

"It was creepy," she said. "There were about thirty other members of the team with him, and he made us battle all of their Pokèmon while treating it as entertainment." Serena shuddered a little as she remembered.

"What happened when you beat them all?" The woman asked them, shocked that they did take down at least fifty Pokèmon before battling Lysandre.

"He battled us and threatened to blow up the building when he lost," Ash said, making them realise why Geosenge town exploded.

"And then we released the Pokémon and children," Serena said, to which the woman shot up, startled.

"Was my child in there?!" She exclaimed, staring at them intently, keen to hear an answer as she started to tear up.

"We didn't get their names," Ash said, looking over at Serena, wondering what they could do.

"He's short, he has blonde hair, and his two front teeth are missing," she said, to which Ash and Serena nodded, recalling that they saved a child who fit the description.

The woman started crying a little more before she excused herself from the couch and ran off camera, leaving the man to interview Ash and Serena.

"What happened after that?" He asked, watching the hostess sit down in the corner and pull out her phone, calling her husband.

"Lysandre set the building to self-destruct," Ash said. "Then we caught the Pokèmon he released and escaped."

"And then you battled him, defeated them, and captured the two legendary Pokèmon," the man finished, to which Ash and Serena nodded. "That's quite a feat for two people alone," he said, making Ash, Serena and Diantha laugh a little.

"We're going to set something up," Ash added, quickly. "Team Flare stole Pokèmon, so I have no doubts that the Pokèmon we had to capture belong to a large collection of trainers across the region. We are going to hold a little reuniting event at the base of Prism Tower with all of the Pokèmon," he said before turning to face the camera. "If Team Flare stole one of your Pokèmon, come to Prism Tower tonight at seven-o'clock to collect your Pokèmon."

Diantha looked at Ash for a moment in confusion as they hadn't previously discussed this, but nodded nonetheless, deciding that it was a good idea and that they should hold the event.

"Sadly, that's all the time we have today," the man said, signalling that it was the end of the interview, to which Ash, Serena and Diantha nodded.

"Thank you for having us," Ash said, chuckling a little.

"Thank you for coming," the man said before he turned to the camera and spoke, going over a few things that would follow the broadcast.

The cameras turned off and Ash, Serena and Diantha stood up, thanked the news anchors and left the building, Diantha heading to Prism Tower to set up the reunion event while Ash and Serena went to collect the rescued Pokèmon from Sycamore's lab, hearing people cheer for them occasionally as they passed.

* * *

"What the hell have you two been up to, eh?" Sycamore asked Ash and Serena when they walked in, laughing a little before shaking their hands. "I always saw potential in you, but I never had a clue that you would be able to save Kalos!"

Ash and Serena laughed a little before Sycamore realised why Ash and Serena were at the lab. "The rescued Pokèmon, right?" He asked, to which Ash and Serena nodded. "Follow me," he said, leading them into a giant dome filled with natural environments, home to all of the Pokèmon that Sycamore looked after.

He called out for all of Ash and Serena's rescued Pokèmon to line up in front of them, a little shocked when he realised that Team Flare had stolen at least fifty Pokèmon.

"What's the plan?" Sycamore asked Ash and Serena, who looked at each other for a moment before answering.

"Do you have a car, by any chance?" Ash asked him, to which he nodded. "Could you return them all to their Pokèballs and put them in boxes in the back of your car?" He asked, to which Sycamore nodded.

"Prism Tower?" Sycamore asked, to which Ash and Serena nodded. "Okay, get in my car," he instructed. "I'll be with you in a minute."

Ash and Serena looked at him for a moment before Serena spoke: "we don't know where your car is," she told him, to which he smiled and laughed.

"It's the red Lamborghini outside the lab," he told them, watching their faces contort a little to shock.

"Really?" Ash asked, a little shocked.

"No," Sycamore said, laughing. "It's the black Audi," he said, to which they nodded, chuckling a little.

Ash and Serena left the lab and climbed into the car once Sycamore unlocked it from the window. They sat in the back, waiting for a minute.

"Today has been hectic," Ash said, sighing as he rubbed his forehead and eyes. "I never thought it would end."

"I thought we were going to die before," Serena said, trembling a little before she leaned over and rested her head on Ash's shoulder.

"I think we should go out for dinner soon," Ash said, looking Serena in the eyes as her face lit up, smiling vibrantly.

Ash kissed her for a few seconds before they realised that Sycamore could catch them at any moment and decided to carry on later. They readjusted themselves until they were comfortable when Sycamore opened the door and slid a box filled with Pokéballs onto the seat next to Serena.

Sycamore climbed into the car before he started the engine and started to drive to Prism Tower. He looked at Ash and Serena through the rear-view mirror before he spoke. "How come you two managed to get yourselves into that situation?" He asked, making Ash and Serena laugh a little.

"It's just our luck, I guess," Ash said, making Serena and Sycamore laugh a little more.

The rounded a corner and could see Prism Tower over the top of the buildings. While driving, they passed by a few people who recognised Ash and Serena, waving at them.

"It's going to be hectic from here on out," Ash said to Serena, who looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean?" She asked, to which Ash proceeded to explain.

"When someone wins the Pokémon league, they are usually stopped on the street at least three times a day in that region," he said. "But, because that news broadcast aired across the world, we're going to be recognised and stopped multiple times wherever we are, most likely."

Serena looked out of the window and sighed. "We probably shouldn't have done that interview, then," she said, looking visibly annoyed.

Ash, noticing this, decided to try and backtrack a little to fix her mood. "It's okay, though!" He said. "After a few weeks, not many people will remember our faces."

"What about the Pokémon league?" Serena asked, looking over at him. "Either one of us will win, most likely, so they'll have two reasons to remember us."

Ash shrugged, realising that she was right. "Don't assume that we will win," he said. "You never know. Someone could have a team full of Mewtwo."

"I think that's unlikely," Serena said, giggling a little before Sycamore parked the car and they got out.

Sycamore grabbed the box and locked the car before Diantha called over to Ash and Serena. "Over here, you two!" She called, waving frantically to gain their attention.

They made their way over, Sycamore placing the box on a large table that Diantha had set up next to the entrance to Prism Tower.

"What time is it?" Serena asked Ash, to which he pulled out his phone to check.

"It's a quarter-to-seven," he informed her, to which Diantha looked over at him and clapped her hands.

"We should set this up quickly, then," she said, grabbing Pokéballs before releasing the Pokémon, placing the balls on the table along with labels that said which Pokémon the ball owned.

Sycamore placed the empty box on the floor before he noticed three chairs neatly pushed under the table.

"What are these for?" Sycamore asked, addressing Diantha, pointing at the chairs.

"We don't know how long we're going to be here, so we have these in case we need to sit down," she explained, to which Serena immediately took a seat, tired from the days work. "And because Ash and Serena are tired," Diantha added, chuckling a little.

"Are we done?" Diantha asked Ash and Serena, to which they nodded, Ash taking a seat next to Serena.

Diantha smiled before she grabbed a microphone from under the table and held it to her mouth. "Hello, everybody!" Diantha said, addressing the people around Prism Tower, who were waiting for the event to start. "We are ready to reunite you with your Pokémon!"

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Y** **es, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	43. Chapter 43

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Exhausted, Ash and Serena watched the last Pokèmon and trainer be reunited; a Gible and a little girl, who almost cried as she held her Pokèmon. "Thank you," she said to them before putting Gible on the ground and hugging them both.

"No need to thank us, Sweetie," Serena said, smiling. "We're happy to help."

The girl smiled at them both before grabbing Gible and gleefully rushing back to her mother, who watched the scene with a smile on her face.

"Is that all of the Pokèmon?" Ash asked Diantha, who nodded.

"What time is it?" She asked Ash, who checked on his phone before announcing that it was half-past-eight.

"We haven't eaten yet," Serena told Ash moments before his stomach growled. "Let's go and eat somewhere."

"Here," Diantha said, pulling her purse out. "I'll pay for you-"

"No need," Ash said, smiling at her. "We can afford it."

"You saved the region," Diantha argued, grabbing a handful of notes, trying to give them to Ash. "You deserve a treat."

"Don't want to risk turning into entitled twats," Ash said, to which Diantha sighed and put the money back in her purse, knowing that she wouldn't win.

"You're very kind to offer, but we're okay," Serena said, making Diantha smile.

"You two are something else," she said, chuckling a little.

"When will we see you again?" Ash asked her. "At the Pokèmon league?"

"Provided that either of you win," she said, putting her purse away before deciding to go. "I'll see you two then! I know I will!" She said before leaving.

"She believes that we win," Serena said, looking at Ash. "Now, come on! I'm hungry!"

"Okay, okay," Ash said, chuckling a little before they bid farewell to Sycamore, thanking him for the help before they left to head to a restaurant.

* * *

They stumbled into the hotel room, knowing full well that they would both sleep for at least ten hours. Both of them stripped down and fell into bed, not bothering to take a shower or brush their teeth.

Ash rested his head on a pillow and was satisfied with the blissfulness he felt while doing so. He grabbed onto Serena and pulled her closer, silently urging her to do the same.

As prompted, Serena clutched Ash and nuzzled the pillow, sighing a little in comfort as she felt the warmth.

"I've needed this all day," Ash muttered, almost so quietly that it was inaudible. Serena, however, heard what he said and laughed a little, agreeing silently before they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

At ten o'clock the next morning, Ash began to stir. He opened his eyes to see that Serena was still next to him, her sleeping face showing how comfortable she was.

Ash smiled a little before he reached out and started to stroke her cheek, watching her soft skin move ever so slightly as he did so. When Ash started to stroke her hair with his other hand, Serena started to smile a little to show that she liked it.

Pikachu hopped onto the bed silently, making his way over to them before jumping onto Ash's head, surprising him a little and making him fall out of bed.

Serena opened her eyes and looked around, wondering why Ash had stopped stroking her before she saw his hand desperately trying to signal to her that he had fallen out of bed.

She giggled a little before leaning over the side of the bed to look at him. "Help," he said, sighing as Pikachu jumped onto the bed before pointing and laughing at him.

Serena grabbed his hand and yanked him onto the bed, almost falling off herself as Ash had long arms which almost reached the other side of the bed when he was on it.

Ash finally slid onto the bed and laid next to Serena, sighing a little.

"We need to get up, don't we?" He asked her, to which she nodded, also sighing.

Begrudgingly, they got off the bed, Serena deciding that she would shower first no matter what.

Ash laughed a little before saying that he would wait for her to finish while sitting in bed, making Serena huff a little before walking into the bathroom and locking the door.

"I can have some more sleep," Ash muttered, happy before he hopped back into bed and lay there, trying to sleep some more.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Serena finally came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her hair and her usual attire covering her body.

"Took you a while," Ash said, having not been able to sleep despite being so tired.

"I fell asleep," she said as she giggled, confusing Ash.

"You fell asleep?!" He exclaimed. "How in Arceus' name did you fall asleep in the shower?"

"I don't know," Serena replied, sighing a little to try and subside her laughter. "I kept drifting off."

"You're such a dummy sometimes," Ash said, to which Serena nodded.

"I know," she replied before grabbing Ash's clothes and throwing them at him. "Now go and have a shower! I'm hungry!"

"Of course you are," Ash mumbled, grabbing his clothes before going into the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Ash and Serena left the hotel and headed to the Pokémon centre, realising that they hadn't healed or fed their Pokémon since lunchtime the day before.

"Sorry about that, Pikachu," Ash told Pikachu after he and Serena realised their mistake. "We were so caught up in everything yesterday that we forgot."

"It's okay," Pikachu said, giving him and Serena a thumbs up, signalling that he didn't care.

They walked into the Pokémon centre and asked Nurse Joy to heal and feed their Pokémon. She did so before thanking Ash and Serena for saving the region, making them both realise that almost everyone would say that to them.

Ash and Serena thanked Nurse Joy for helping their Pokémon when she returned them before they decided to head to a café for breakfast.

* * *

After another twenty minutes, Ash and Serena decided that they were going to visit Clemont and Bonnie before heading to the league.

"I'll phone Clemont," Ash told Serena, who nodded for a moment before Ash pulled out his phone and promptly returned it to his pocket. "It's out of charge."

"Well done," Serena said, sighing. "Let's fly above the city and look for him," Serena suggested, to which Ash agreed, releasing Talonflame before climbing on and letting Serena on.

"Circle around the city," Ash told Talonflame, to which it nodded before taking off.

Talonflame flew into the air before it started to soar above, Ash and Serena keeping an eye out for Clemont and Bonnie's unmistakable, blonde hair.

After a few moments of flying over a boulevard, Talonflame entered the airspace of Prism Tower, allowing Ash and Serena to see Clemont standing on the balcony of Prism Tower.

"Down there, Talonflame," Ash said, pointing at the balcony, signalling for Talonflame to land on it.

Talonflame started to glide towards the balcony before sliding on the ground as it landed, letting Ash and Serena hop off, much to Clemont's shock.

"Where did you two come from?!" He exclaimed, shocked by their sudden appearance.

"The sky," Ash said, stroking Talonflame's wings a little bit before returning it to its Pokéball.

"Here to brag about taking down Lysandre?" Clemont asked, chuckling a little.

"We don't brag," Serena said, shivering a little at the thought of being so annoying. "We came to see you," she told him, to which Clemont nodded.

"That's nice," he said. "Can't talk for long, though. I have a date this afternoon," he informed them, shocking them both a little.

"A date?" Ash asked, surprised. "How long have you been on the dating scene?"

"Long enough to have a chance," Clemont replied, making Ash and Serena laugh a little. "It's with a cute girl I met last night at a bar," he told them.

"You go to the bar?" Serena asked, more shocked than Ash, who didn't seem to bat an eyelid at this information. "You're opening up about a load of things we didn't know."

"Last night was the first time," he told them. "I was so stressed when everything with Team Flare was happening and decided to loosen up with alcohol."

"You don't have a hangover, do you?" Ash asked, to which Clemont shook his head.

"I didn't drink too much," he told them, making Ash and Serena feel a little relieved. "I only drank enough to get tipsy.

"I'm surprised," Serena said, laughing a little. "I always thought of you as innocent."

"I'm still innocent," Clemont said.

"And stupid!" Bonnie added, poking her head out from inside before pulling a face at Clemont.

"Hi, Bonnie!" Serena exclaimed, rushing over to hug her. "It's been ages since I saw you last!"

"I know," Bonnie said, pouting a little as she looked up at her brother, confusing Ash and Serena.

"What did he do?" Ash asked, knowing that Bonnie was looking at Clemont because he didn't let her do something.

"She's annoyed with me because I didn't let her fight Team Flare yesterday," Clemont told them, to which Ash and Serena laughed a little.

"It was scary," Ash told Bonnie, making her look at him, confused.

"But you were so brave on the TV when you talked about it," she said.

"That was after it had ended," Serena said as Bonnie looked over to her. "And it would have been dangerous if you didn't have a Pokémon."

"I'm strong, though!" Bonnie exclaimed, to which they nodded.

"Your voice certainly is," Clemont said, rubbing his ears a little in discomfort.

Bonnie huffed a little before walking back inside, leaving Ash, Serena and Clemont alone.

"I should go and talk to her," Clemont told Ash and Serena, who agreed. "Hopefully, I'll see you when the Pokémon league starts," he said.

"Are you participating?" He asked, to which Clemont shook his head, chuckling a little.

"No," he said. "I'm watching the matches from the stands," he told them, to which they nodded. "We might be able to see each other between battles?"

"That would be cool," Serena said, to which Clemont nodded.

"We should go," Ash told Clemont, to which he nodded. "We need to get to the league."

"It might take you two days," Clemont informed them, smiling before he walking inside and closed the door.

"Let's go," Serena said, grabbing Ash's hand before Ash released Talonflame and climbed on, letting Serena climb onto the Pokémon's back before they took off.

Talonflame took them to the entrance to Victory Road after Ash told it to, letting them hop off its back before they all looked at the cave entrance ahead.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	44. Chapter 44

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

"Let's go," Serena said, grabbing Ash's hand with newly found energy. "I want to get there as soon as possible!"

"Excited for the league, are you?" Ash asked, to which Serena nodded enthusiastically, making him chuckle. "Make sure you don't sprint ahead of me."

"I won't," she replied, giggling a little as she realised that she was acting like a Growlithe about to go on a walk.

They walked into the cave before they both slipped their bags off and grabbed a torch each before putting their bags back on.

"Are you ready?" Serena asked Ash, who nodded, grabbing her hand again.

They started to walk, ignoring the wild Pokèmon around them as they made their way through the tunnel. They passed a few Geodude and Zubat along with one or two Drilbur.

As they walked to the rhythmic pattern of water dripping into a puddle, Ash noticed a staircase ahead.

"We're going up in a minute," he informed Serena, who squinted a little before noticing the stairs.

"How big is the cave?" She asked, to which Ash shrugged.

"It looks big from the outside," he said, trying to figure it out. "And we couldn't see the large building that the league is held in, so it must be quite far back."

"Which means that the exit can be anywhere between here and that building," Serena said, sighing. "I think Clemont was right," she said.

"He was right about what?" Ash asked.

"That it will take two days," she told him, to which he nodded, agreeing.

"What will we do when we have to sleep?" Ash asked her, giving Serena a moment to think about it as they started to walk up the stairs.

"We can light a fire and sleep next to it?" Serena suggested, shrugging a little as they reached the top of the stairs to see a beautiful waterfall in the centre of a winding path.

"That's stunning," Ash said, looking at the surroundings. "Just he like you, Serena," he mumbled, much quieter than his original statement, but load enough for Serena to hear him.

Serena smiled and leaned on his shoulder, transferring all of her weight onto Ash, almost making him fall over. "Sorry!" She exclaimed as Ash stumbled.

"It's okay," Ash said, laughing a little. "Let's get through this place."

They followed the dirt path, starting to wonder about how this was inside of the mountain but not questioning it further once they silently decided that the government created the cave.

Ash and Serena crossed over a wooden bridge which led them across a four-metre drop, and for the first time in the past few days, they started to realise that their journey was coming to an end.

"What will happen after the league?" Serena asked Ash, starting to daydream about the possibilities. Would they stay in Kalos? Would they go to a different region? Would they have to part ways again? The last question made Serena's heart sink as she realised that if Ash went back to Kanto, she would be alone.

Ash, picking up on the sudden shift in Serena's mood, squeezed her hand and smiled at her. "No matter what happens after the league, I will always be with you," he told her, to which Serena smiled sadly and hugged him, making them stop walking.

"I love you, Ash," she whispered, listening to the gentle sound of the waterfall in the background.

"I love you, too, Serena," Ash replied, kissing her forehead.

Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and sat on a post which held the bridge up, watching the tender moment between his best friend and his girlfriend.

After a few moments, Serena let go of Ash, smiling at him. "Let's go," she said, motioning for Pikachu to jump back onto Ash's shoulder.

* * *

They continued to walk through the cave, taking three hours to reach the next set of stairs and climb them, only to find that they had emerged into a room that was bigger than the last.

"This is going to take forever," Ash mumbled, pulling his phone out to check the time. "It's half-past two," he said, sighing.

Serena rolled her eyes a little, giggling. "Why is that such a big deal?" She asked, to which Ash blushed.

"It's a little embarrassing," he mumbled, to which Serena prodded him in the cheek.

"Tell me," she said, her tone of voice clearly showing that she was going to tease him a little no matter what.

"I'm a little scared about sleeping in a cave," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "So I want to get out of here soon."

"Don't worry," Serena told him, giggling. "Your strong girlfriend will keep you safe," she said sarcastically, imitating bodybuilders with the way she posed.

"I'll be okay, thanks," Ash told her, giving her a sarcastic smile, making her pout.

"I'm strong!" She exclaimed, her voice breaking a little as she did so, making her blush.

"I think your voice cracks when you lie," Ash said, laughing, watching as Serena started to giggle a little as well.

"Come on," Serena said, grabbing Ash's hand again before they started to walk through the second room of the cave.

* * *

Six hours later, Ash and Serena finally stopped walking to rest. They collapsed onto the ground and laid down, taking a moment to breathe before that decided to make some food.

"I'm starving," Ash told Serena, who nodded, her stomach growing a little.

"I am, too," she mumbled, fishing through her bag to get ingredients for a meal. "What are we having?" She asked Ash, who shrugged, unsure.

"We can have whatever you fancy," he told her, sitting up and leaning on his hands as he gazed at the ceiling. "It's insane to think that we're almost at the Pokèmon league," Ash mumbled, remembering when they started their journey.

"How long has it been?" Serena asked, deciding that they would eat a chicken salad for dinner.

"One or two months?" Ash said, looking over at Serena, who took a moment to think about it before nodding.

"That sounds right," she said, placing some raw chicken on a plate before she released Delphox and asked her to use a light Flamethrower to prepare it.

They waited for a few minutes until Delphox finished cooking the chicken before Serena pulled out a ready-made salad and mixed the chicken in with it.

Ash leaned over, grabbed a few seasonings and some lemon juice before he added them to the salad while Serena mixed it in.

"Thanks, Delphox," Serena said to her started, who stroked Serena's hair a little, signalling that she wanted something. "We'll get your food ready now," Serena told her, giggling when Delphox smiled and released the rest of the Pokèmon.

Ash grabbed his bag and pulled out a few bowls and filled them with food. He then handed them to the Pokèmon, who took them and scoffed the food.

Ash and Serena ate their chicken salad and decided to get to sleep, pulling a tightly packed sleeping bag out of Ash's bag and unravelling it.

Ash hopped into the bag and moved his backpack to use it as a pillow, taking a few seconds to test to see if it was comfortable and deciding that it was.

"Goodnight," Serena said to Ash as she climbed in next to him, planting a kiss on his cheek before snuggling into the pillow.

"Goodnight," Ash mumbled, smiling as her before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Serena woke up to something digging into her stomach. She rubbed her eyes and saw that Ash was still asleep. She reached down to find what was digging in and found that Ash's belt buckle was jabbing at her stomach.

She shook her head a little and smiled, sliding out of the sleeping bag before she shook Ash awake. "Get up," she said, pulling out her phone to check the time, seeing that it was nine o'clock in the morning.

"Do I have to?" Ash mumbled, clearly still tired as he rubbed his eyes.

"Yes," Serena said, giggling. "We have to get a move on if you don't want to sleep ina cave again," she told him, to which Ash bolted upright and slid out of the sleeping bag.

"Come on, then!" Ash exclaimed, quickly packing everything away before he grabbed Serena's hand. "Let's go!"

Serena laughed a little as they continued to make their way through the cave, amused that Ash was so eager to leave.

* * *

Four hours later, Ash and Serena finally emerged from Victory Road and looked up at the gigantic building that housed the Pokémon league.

"Wow," Serena said, her mouth gaping open as she looked at the building. "That's amazing!"

"It is," Ash said, agreeing before he dragged Serena inside to look around and get used to the building they would be spending the next week or two in.

They walked through the building and looked around, seeing that there were cafés, Pokémon centres, gyms, public battlefields, hotels, the arena for the league battles, an area strictly for interviews, a swimming pool, a Pokémart and a spa.

"We won't get bored while we're here, will we?" Ash said, making Serena giggle a little.

They made their way over to the Pokémon centre and asked Nurse Joy to heal and feed their Pokémon and to tell them a little about the league.

"The league's going to start by cutting the number of challengers in half," Nurse Joy told them, confusing Ash and Serena.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, confused as he had battled in five leagues previously and hadn't encountered something like that.

"Everyone will be put against someone else in a one versus one battle. You'll have one Pokémon each which will separate the good battlers from the bad battlers, meaning that there won't be too many battles where someone's Pokémon doesn't faint as they will have no choice but to battle a strong trainer," Nurse Joy explained, to which Ash and Serena nodded, understanding.

"We're going to do that and then move onto regular battles?" Serena asked, to which Nurse Joy nodded.

"That's correct," she said. "However, you won't be battling with six Pokémon until the semi-finals," she added, Ash and Serena understanding why.

"So it doesn't take forever to reach the finals?" Ash asked, to which Nurse Joy nodded, confirming their suspicions before she handed Ash and Serena their Pokémon.

"Thanks," Ash and Serena said to her before they went to the café to eat lunch, realising that they never ate breakfast.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	45. Chapter 45

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena left the café and headed to the hotel to get a room. When they walked into the hotel, the man at the counter recognised them. "Oh, hey!" He called out, catching Ash and Serena's attention.

"What is it?" Ash asked, confused as they walked over to him. "Do you need anything?"

"No. but I have to tell you something," he told them, holding up a keycard for them to take. "Diantha wants you to get a room for free," he explained, letting Ash take the card.

"For free?" Serena echoed, smiling but confused. "Are you sure it's free?" She asked, to which he nodded.

"You saved the region," he told them, laughing. "It's the least we can do."

"Thanks," Ash said, looking at the card in his hands. "Isn't this a-"

"It's a luxury room," he said, noticing Ash looking at it. "All for nothing."

"Thanks!" Ash and Serena said to him in unison, to which he gave them a thumbs-up before going to help someone else.

Ash and Serena looked at the keycard for information, discovering that their room was on the eighth floor in room twelve.

They decided to take the stairs, arriving at the eighth floor after a minute of walking up them. They made their way over to their room and opened the door only to be greeted by a decently sized room with a large bed and the necessities.

They dropped their bags off before heading out of the hotel, going to find the area to sign up for the league.

* * *

"Hello," a woman greeted them as they walked up to the application booth. "Would you two like to be registered for the league?"

Ash and Serena nodded, giving the woman their names and ages, to which she nodded, typing them on her computer. "You're the two who saved the region, correct?" She asked, to which Ash sighed and nodded.

She handed Ash and Serena an identification card each. "Show these to the guards when you head to the waiting room," she instructed them, to which they nodded. "Without them, you won't be allowed in. Therefore, you won't be able to battle."

"Got it," Ash said, smiling as he waved the card in the air. "When will the first battles be announced?" He asked.

"Eager to start, aren't you?" She said, laughing. "The first battles start in three days," she told them. "You have plenty of time to prepare."

"Brilliant!" Ash exclaimed, giving her a thumbs-up. "Thanks for the help."

"It's my job," the woman said, watching Ash and Serena walk away. "Literally."

"What should we do?" Serena asked Ash, grabbing his hand. "We have three days to train."

"Then we'll use all three of those days," Ash told her, to which she giggled at his enthusiasm.

"Come on, then," Serena said, dragging Ash towards the public battlefields. "Let's battle."

Ash looked at her in surprise before shaking his head. "No," he said. "Let's do our best to get to the finals. We can battle then," Ash told her, to which Serena looked at him for a moment before nodding.

"Got it!" She exclaimed, happy with the idea. "What should we do to train, then?" She asked, to which Ash shrugged as they walked onto an empty battlefield.

"We should probably work on their speed," Ash said, releasing his team. "Good speed is a large aspect of strength."

"How so?" Serena asked, releasing her team onto the battlefield as well.

"What's the point of having a strong Pokèmon when the opponent can dodge every attack?" Ash asked her, to which she nodded, seeing his point. "I want all of you to sprint around the battlefield as many times as you can in a minute!" Ash commanded, addressing the Pokèmon. "We'll do it with you."

Serena pulled a timer up on her phone before starting it, signalling for everyone to start sprinting around the battlefield.

Once the minute was over, Ash had everyone tell him the number of laps they had done. Pokèmon like Talonflame had managed to do ten while others like Delphox only managed around three.

Ash noted every number down on his phone, including his and Serena's lap before turning to address everyone. "That was good," he said, smiling at them. "But we're going to work on it anyway. I want everyone to be able to sprint around this battlefield five times in a minute."

Everyone nodding, telling him that they understood before they started to warm up and run again.

"If we're training with them," Serena started, looking at Ash. "How are we going to improve our speed?"

"The gym," he told her, to which she raised an eyebrow before understanding.

"Are we going to run on the treadmill?" She asked, to which he nodded, confirming her suspicions.

"We're going to go inside to the treadmills," Ash informed the Pokèmon, who nodded before they walked inside to the gym.

"Have you ever used a treadmill?" Serena asked Ash, to which he nodded, looking at her.

"Have you?" He asked, making Serena think about it for a moment before she shrugged.

"Probably," she said, looking a little confused. "But I don't remember," she said, to which Ash laughed a little.

They walked into the gym and headed over to two treadmills, quickly setting them up as it was a simple process before they started to run.

"What's yours set to?" Ash asked Serena, to which she looked for a moment before answering.

"Three," she said, looking back at Ash. "What about yours?"

"Four," he replied, to which Serena nodded, about to look away before Ash spoke again. "Put yours up to four," he instructed, to which Serena obliged.

* * *

They ran for a few minutes before they decided to turn it up to five. Then six. Then seven. By the time they had spent half an hour on the treadmills, Ash and Serena were running instead of jogging, clutching their stomachs as they fought the stitches.

"Can we slow down a bit?" Serena asked Ash through heavy breaths, clearly not used to running for so long.

"You can if you like," Ash replied, also breathing heavily. "But I'm staying on seven."

Serena thought about it for a moment before deciding to stay at the same speed as Ash, not wanting him to deal with the pain alone.

* * *

Ash and Serena got off the treadmills ten minutes later, panting and sweating before collapsing onto the floor to take a much-needed break.

"I'm proud of you, Serena," Ash said, looking over at her. "For what was probably your first time, you did incredibly."

"Thanks," she replied, moving over to sit next to Ash, resting her head on his shoulder. "You were great, too."

Ash chuckled a little before he stood up, pulling Serena to her feet, telling her that they were going to get their Pokèmon and head back to their room to rest.

They stumbled outside, catching the attention of their Pokèmon, who were already sat down, done with their training. "Any results?" Ash asked them, to which they all nodded, happily claiming that they had risen their speed statistics by at least three points in the forty minutes they had.

Ash gave them all a thumbs-up before he and Serena returned them to their Pokèballs, letting Pikachu hop onto Ash's shoulder before they went to the Pokèmon centre.

"My, my," Nurse Joy said as they entered, observing their sweat-drenched clothes and hair. "Would you like you to heal yourselves along with your Pokèmon?" She asked, making Ash and Serena laugh.

Ash and Serena handed their Pokèmon to Nurse Joy, who took them and, in turn, gave Ash and Serena a bottle of ice-cold water each.

"Thanks," Ash said, smiling before opening the bottle and chugging half of it in a few gulps, proving that he was dying for a drink.

Serena sipped her water slowly, trying to make the most of the refreshing drink as Nurse Joy healed their Pokémon, handing them back to them a minute later.

"Here you go," Nurse Joy said as she handed Ash and Serena their Pokémon. "I think you two need to rest for a bit."

"We will," Serena said, giggling. "Thanks!" She exclaimed, grabbing Ash's hand before leading him towards the hotel.

* * *

They made their way to their room, entering before quickly changing out of their drenched clothes and into something much more comfortable. They laid down on the bed, turned the TV on and then proceeded to stay there for an hour or two.

Ash and Serena spent the rest of the day relaxing after their training session. They only left their hotel room to go and get food before they returned to carry on watching TV.

* * *

By the time nine o'clock rolled around, Ash and Serena decided to get ready for bed, taking a shower before they finally dropped their heads to the pillows.

"I can't believe we're finally here," Serena said, smiling as she looked around the room, having to remind herself that they were in the league building and not any other hotel.

"Time flies, doesn't it?" Ash stated, looking over at Serena, who giggled at his statement.

"You sound like my mum," she said, snickering a little before her laughing quelled and she laid her head on Ash's chest. "I wish she could be here right now."

"I'm sure she'll come to watch you battle," Ash told her, stroking her hair as he spoke. "She wouldn't miss something that important."

"Even if she turns up for one battle, I'll be happy," Serena whispered, smiling to herself before she drifted off to sleep.

Stunned by her words, Ash looked at Serena for a moment before he closed his eyes and decided to sleep. As he drifted off, he silently promised Serena to make sure that her mother would be watching.

* * *

The next morning, Ash and Serena woke up and quickly got dressed before heading to get breakfast and to feed their Pokémon. As soon as they had completed everything mandatory, they decided to train a little before lunch.

"I'll be back in a minute," Serena said as they walked over to the battlefields. "I'm just heading to the bathroom quickly."

Ash nodded, watching her walk away before he remembered what she had said to him the night before. Without a second thought, Ash pulled his phone out of his pocket and phoned Serena's mother.

"Hello?" She asked when she answered, clearly surprised that Ash was calling her.

"Hi, Grace," Ash said, smiling when Grace gasped for a moment.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, laughing. "I almost declined your call," she said. "I thought it was Serena's father calling me again."

"Her father?" Ash asked, confused before he decided not to have Grace explain. If it were something he needed to know, Grace would tell him on her own accord. "Nevermind," he said. "Will you be here for the league?"

"Of course, I will!" Grace exclaimed, chuckling a little. "Why on Earth wouldn't I be?"

"Okay, that's good," Ash said, sighing in relief. "I wanted to make sure because Serena told me how much she wants you to see her battling."

"Is she with you?" Grace asked, to which Ash almost shook his head, forgetting that it was a phone call for a second.

"No," Ash replied. "I made sure that she wasn't in case you said no. It would crush her."

Grace smiled a little before responding. "I can see why she would think I couldn't come," she said, looking up at the ceiling of her office. "I'm always thinking about work."

Ash noticed that Serena was heading back over to him. Quickly, he told Grace that he had to go before hanging up, hiding his phone as Serena walked over to him.

"Ready to train?" She asked, to which Ash nodded, smiling before grabbing her hand and leading her to the battlefields.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! This one's a little longer than usual because I'm in the mood to write a lot. Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	46. Chapter 46

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

"We're finally here! The annual Kalos Pokémon league is starting for the thirty-fifth time and boy, does it look like we'll have an exciting league," the announcer said.

The stadium cheered as the competitors walked onto the battlefield, raring to battle and try their best to win.

"We have two-hundred and fifty-six people battling in this year's league!" The announcer stated, making the crowd cheer. "We will be starting by having one-on-one battles between everyone, which will cut the number in half. Next, everyone will battle against each other in two-on-two battles. Followed three-on-three, four-on-four, five-on-five and finally, in the semi-finals, six-on-six, to ensure that the best trainers will make the finals."

Everyone arrived on the battlefield, looking at the crowd of millions, knowing that people around the world were watching them at that very second.

Diantha walked out onto a balcony above the crowd on the south side, prompting everyone to look that way before she spoke. "Greetings, all," she said, smiling and gesturing to everyone with her hands. "It is my pleasure to be hosting the Kalos league this year. As we know, I was the winner of the last league, and I stole the role of champion for myself. It would be an honour to see someone else able to overpower me," she said, looking over towards Ash and Serena. "May the battles begin!"

Everyone cheered, watching her walk away before the announcer spoke again. "Thank you, our wonderful champion Diantha," he said moments before four large screens, one on each side of the stadium, lit up and displayed the match-ups for the first round of battles.

Everyone looked at them, not many people in the crowd recognising the names except for a few previous league competitors and, of course, Ash and Serena.

"I'm against someone called Matthew," Ash said, looking at his name and Matthew's linked together. "Matthew Stevens."

"I'm against Amber Crocket," Serena said with a posh accent, as it was a semi-posh name. "My battle's at two o'clock."

"Mine's in ten minutes," Ash said, a little shocked. "I'm the first battle of the league."

Serena looked at Ash's name on the screen, only to see that he was correct. He was going to start the league. Then the announcer spoke again.

"As you can see, there's a colour next to your names. If there's red next to your name, head to the waiting room on the building's left side. If there's blue next to your name, head to the waiting room on the building's right side."

"I'm on the right side," Serena said, looking at the blue stripe next to her name.

"Same," Ash said, about to say something else before the announcer spoke.

"To everyone taking part in the battles, please go to the waiting room at least half an hour before your battle is scheduled to take place. You can watch the battles from anywhere in the building, but everyone has a seat saved for them in the stands," he explained. "You are free to go and do what you want, but please keep an eye on the time," he said, to which a few people laughed as it reminded them a little of school and the breaks they would have in the day.

Everyone left the battlefield, the first few battlers heading to the waiting rooms to wait for their battles before Ash turned to Serena. "Would you like to come with me?" He asked, to which Serena shrugged.

"I'd like to," she said. "But I don't think I'm allowed," she finished, sighing. "I'll go to the stands."

Ash nodded before he walked into the blue waiting room. Why was he battling first? He walked into the waiting room and sat down, receiving a few nods from other battlers who respected him for saving the region.

* * *

After a few minutes, a lady came in a gestured to Ash, telling him to follow her to the battlefield.

Ash obliged, following her through a door labelled "restricted" and down a hallway where he was able to see the battlefield through an opening.

"Wait here until your name's called," she told him, patting his shoulder before leaving.

Ash leant against the wall, noticing that he was far enough back for no-one in the crowd to see him.

After a few moments, the announcer came back. "Hello, again!" He started, earning loud cheers from the crowd as they knew that the first battle was about to begin. "Are you ready to start the league?" He asked, to which the crowd cheered. "I can't hear you," he said, urging everyone to cheer louder, which they did. "Then, may Ash Ketchum go to his podium?"

Cheers erupted from the crowd as Ash walked out, deciding to ignore everyone with a smile on his face as to not look like a stern prick. Pikachu, however, acted like a celebrity walking down the red carpet, waving and calling his name to people.

Ash walked up the stairs to his podium, scratching Pikachu's ear, making him muzzle Ash's hand and making the audience's hearts melt.

"We could expect no less from the boy who saved the region," the announcer said, chuckling as he watched the two before he called out Ash's opponent. "May Matthew Stevens go to his podium?"

Matthew walked out, smiling and waving at the crowd who cheered for him but not as much as they did for Ash. Matthew made his way onto his podium and nodded towards Ash, who nodded back and gave him a thumbs up.

There were a few seconds of silence before the announcer started the battle. "One Pokèmon each! You know the rules! Battle begin!"

"Go on, Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, letting Pikachu jump off his shoulder and onto the battlefield. Ash felt that it would be pleasant for Pikachu, his best friend, to start the league with him.

"Go, Rampardos!" Matthew shouted, releasing his Pokèmon, who landed on the battlefield and let out a menacing roar. "Use Zen Headbutt!" Matthew commanded, to which Rampardos took a moment to focus its energy before darting forwards, heading straight towards Pikachu.

"Use Iron Tail to block it!" Ash shouted, to which Pikachu jumped into the air, spinning around, letting his tail turn to pure iron before slamming it into Rampardos' head, stopping its attack and sending Rampardos flying backwards.

"Earthquake!" Matthew exclaimed, watching Rampardos as it stamped on the ground multiple times, conjuring an earthquake.

"Stick your tail into the ground!" Ash commanded, noticing that Pikachu's tail was still iron.

Pikachu jumped into the air before slamming his tail into the ground, letting the earthquake radiate around him without being affected.

The crowd cheered, having seen a strategy like that only a handful of times throughout the history of the league.

"Thunderbolt into the cracks around Rampardos!" Ash shouted, confusing everyone except for Pikachu, who obliged without questioning Ash's thoughts.

Pikachu charged up the attack before sending a bolt of lightning towards Rampardos' feet, entering the cracks. A few moments passed before pieces of the floor flew into the air, including Rampardos. The electricity had shifted the rocks and, without anywhere else for them to go, they shot into the sky!

Rampardos flailed around in the air, desperately trying to find a way to save itself.

"Use Quick Attack to get over there and then finish it with Iron Tail!" Ash commanded, to which Pikachu obliged, rushing over towards Rampardos before leaping into the air, letting his tail turn to iron once more before slamming it into Rampardos, sending it zooming towards the stands, to which a barrier stopped it from hurting anyone, letting Rampardos slide down and crash into the floor.

"Rampardos is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted into the microphone. "Pikachu is the winner!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, claps and whistles as Pikachu ran over to Ash, who picked him up, petting his best friend.

Matthew returned Rampardos to its Pokéball before he and Ash made their way over to each other, meeting in the middle before shaking hands, nodding at each other.

"That was incredible," Matthew said to Ash, who smiled a little. "I had no idea that was even possible!"

"Remember to use strategies like that," Ash told him, to which Matthew nodded.

"I'll make sure to participate again next year, and I'll make sure to use a strategy like that," he told Ash, having to raise his voice a little to be heard over the crowd.

Ash and Matthew gave each other another small nod before parting ways, Ash heading back towards the blue waiting room, Matthew heading back towards the red waiting room.

As Ash walked into the tunnel, he could still hear the crowd cheering, chanting his name as he left, clearly new fans of him and Pikachu.

Ash walked back into the waiting room, to which everyone there gave him a high-five, congratulating him on his victory, some of them questioning his strategy, saying things that resembled what Matthew had said.

After a few moments, Ash bid farewell to them, leaving the waiting room and heading to the Pokémon centre, Matthew exiting the Pokémon centre as he approached, having healed his Rampardos.

Ash walked in, asking Nurse Joy to heal Pikachu, to which she nodded and smiled, taking Pikachu as she congratulated Ash on the victory.

Ash and Nurse Joy made small talk before someone came up behind Ash and put their hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?" Came a familiar voice from behind him, to which Ash spun around only to see Misty, one of his travelling companions from Kanto and Johto.

"Misty!" Ash exclaimed, excited to see one of his old friends. "Why are you here?" He asked, to which she smiled a little, laughing.

"I've come to see you, idiot," she said before Serena rounded to corner to see them.

"Hey, Ash," she said, rushing over to him before flinging his arms around his neck, kissing him. "That was a great battle," she said, smiling before she turned to Misty. "Who's this?"

"I'm one of Ash's friends," Misty explained, smiling before shaking Serena's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," Serena said, smiling. "How long have you two known each other?" She asked, to which Misty placed a finger on her chin, trying to think.

"We met in Kanto," Misty said, doing a little bit of math. "I think that was around four years ago? Maybe five."

"I started my journey when I was thirteen," Ash said, making Serena look at him for a moment.

"I thought trainers usually started their journeys at ten?" Serena said, to which Ash nodded.

"Usually," he echoed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wanted to set off as soon as I turned ten, but mum needed my help for a while."

"How come?" Serena asked, to which Misty gave her a death stare, trying to tell her not to ask anything else.

"Some of the others are here, too, Ash," Misty exclaimed, trying to distract him from what Serena asked.

"Who else is here?" Ash asked, clearly excited, wanting to see his old friends again.

"I'll take you to them," Misty told him, to which Ash nodded, following her out of the Pokémon centre, Serena rushing to catch up, walking next to Misty.

"What happened?" Serena whispered to Misty, who made sure that Ash couldn't hear her before answering.

"Ash's father left home," she explained, to which Serena's eyes widened, realising why Misty stopped Ash from answering.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	47. Chapter 47

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash, Serena and Misty walked over towards a group of people who Ash immediately recognised, rushing over to the five people, greeting them all enthusiastically.

Ash looked at his five previous travelling companions, smiling before he noticed Serena's look of confusion, to which he proceeded to introduce her to everyone.

"Serena," Ash started. "This is Brock," he said, gesturing to a tall man with spikey, brown hair, his eyes thin.

"Hi," Brock said, cheerily waving to her as he silently contemplated about whether or not he should make a move.

"This is Dawn," Ash said, pointing at a girl with blue hair which was complemented by the white beanie on top.

"Hi," Dawn said, immediately sensing that something was going on between Ash and Serena, making her giggle a little.

"This is-" Ash started before he was cut off by the person he was going to introduce.

"I'm Iris," she said, her dark, purple hair shifting a little to reveal her Pokèmon, Axew, who let out an excited cry when he saw Ash.

"You mean: you're annoying," Misty mumbled a little, only loud enough for Ash and Serena to hear, making them smile and hold back laughter.

"This is Cilan," Ash said, pointing at a tall lad dressed up in a suit without a blazer.

"Hey," Cilan said, gently brushing his hair a little with his fingers as he observed Pikachu. "Ash," he started. "I can see you've grown closer to Pikachu."

"Of course," Ash said, chuckling a little. "I spend every day with this annoying ball," he told him, looking at Pikachu to see his response, to which Pikachu stuck his tongue out at Ash and smacked him on the back of his head.

"And this," Ash said, rubbing the back of his head. "Is Max," he told Serena, who looked down at the short boy with dark blue hair and glasses.

"My sister isn't here," Max said to Ash, completely ignoring Serena. "She's gone to Sinnoh with Drew."

"How are they?" Ash asked, to which Max shrugged as a response.

"I'm not sure," he said. "The last time I saw them was two months ago."

Ash shrugged, not knowing what else to do before he addressed everyone. "Oh, by the way," he said, unable to think of a proper transition into the subject. "Serena and I are dating."

A moment of silence passed before everyone except Misty erupted, shocked at what he said. "What?!" They shouted, unable to believe it. "You have a girlfriend?!"

"Y-Yeah," Ash stuttered, not knowing why they were so shocked. "We've been dating for about two months. Maybe three."

"I always thought you were gay," Brock said, laughing. "You never showed any interest in Misty, May or Dawn!"

"To be perfectly honest, I thought you had something with Brock," Max said to Ash, making everyone laugh.

"No offence, Ash," Brock said, chuckling. "But I wouldn't date you."

"Don't rule it out, Babe," Ash responded, winking at him, to which everyone laughed more.

"Ash," Serena said, placing her hand on his arm. "We should break up so you two lovebirds can be together."

"And then we can film them having sex!" Iris exclaimed, a little too loud, making everyone look at her, confused.

"What's sex?" Max asked, to which Misty quickly disregarded the question.

"Ask your girlfriend," she said, to which Max shrugged.

"I don't have a girlfriend," he said, confused.

"Exactly."

* * *

The group talked for an hour, eventually heading to the café for lunch. Straight after, Serena's phone buzzed, prompting her to check it only to see that it was her alarm, telling her to go to the waiting room.

"I'm going for my battle," Serena told the group, to which they nodded, understanding.

"We'll watch you from the stands!" Dawn said, hugging Serena to wish her good luck.

"Good luck," Ash said once Dawn let go, giving Serena a quick kiss and a smile before she headed to the waiting room.

The group walked to the stadium, making their way to the stands as a battle ended. They sat down and waited for a minute before Serena came out along with her opponent.

"This battle," the announcer started. "Is between Serena Yvonne and Amber Crocket!" He finished, to which the crowd cheered.

Both trainers made their way to their podiums, taking a moment to breathe before the announcer started the battle.

"Go, Sylveon!" Serena shouted, sending out her best-Pokémon-friend.

"Go, Drapion!" Amber shouted, sending out the dark-poison Pokémon, which smirked as it saw Sylveon, expecting her to be weak.

"This will be challenging," Serena mumbled, a little intimidated by the fact that she had a type-disadvantage. "Use Swift!" She exclaimed, watching as Sylveon used her ribbons to create small, sharp stars before proceeding to fling them in Drapion's direction.

"Use Pin Missile to destroy the stars!" Amber commanded, to which Drapion obliged, quickly firing at the attack, making contact with all but one of the stars, leaving the one leftover to hit Drapion, dealing some damage.

"Get in close and use Covet!" Serena shouted, watching as Sylveon darted forwards before slamming into Drapion, making it stagger back a little. "Now use Bite!"

Sylveon obliged, using her teeth to latch onto one of Drapion's legs, making it attempt to shake Sylveon off, to no avail.

"Fire Fang!" Amber exclaimed, hoping that Syvleon wasn't hurting Drapion enough for it to faint too soon.

Drapion bent over before biting Sylveon's head with jaws on fire, burning Sylveon and making her scream in pain, letting go of Drapion before rolling around on the floor, trying to extinguish the fire on her head.

"Use Draining Kiss!" Serena shouted, getting desperate and agitated. "Quickly!"

Sylveon leapt towards Drapion, quickly planting a kiss on its body, sucking some it's health out to heal her.

Noticing that Drapion was close to fainting, Serena took her change. "Covet to finish it!" She shouted, to which Sylveon leapt forwards and slammed into Drapion, making it stumble a little before falling onto the ground.

"Drapion is unable to battle!" The announcer said. "Sylveon is the winner!"

The crowd cheered as Amber and Serena returned their Pokémon, following Ash and Matthew's example by walking over to each other and shaking hands, something which the other battlers also did.

"Good battle," Amber told Serena. "I hope you get to the final."

"Ash will probably win," Serena said, smiling to herself. "But I would like to battle him. We agreed to battle each other in the final," she told Amber, who smiled.

"Don't hold back on him," she replied, smirking before winking at Serena. "Hit him with your girl-power!"

Serena laughed before the two of them parted ways, heading back through their waiting rooms and out into the main building where Ash and his friends were waiting for Serena.

"That was brilliant!" Ash said once he saw her, rushing over to hug her.

"Not as good as your battle was," Serena replied, kissing Ash on the cheek while the others made their way over.

"Nah," Ash said, chuckling. "Yours was better."

"Your battle was better than Ash's," Iris said to Serena, who didn't bother replying.

"Rude," Ash muttered, sighing. Iris hadn't changed a bit, yet he thought that she was sad when they parted ways in Unova.

* * *

The group talked for a bit before an announcement came, telling everyone to head to the stadium, battlers on the battlefield, spectators in the stands.

Ash and Serena parted ways from the rest of the group, quickly making their way onto the battlefield along with the other participants.

"Now," the announcer started. "We have one-hundred and twenty-eight participants, which means that we can start battling!"

The crowd cheered, excited to see the league start properly, something which the participants resonated with, letting out small murmurs of excitement, waiting for the announcer to continue.

"Seeing as we still have a lot of battlers," the announcer started, waiting for the stadium to go quiet before continuing. "We will go on to two versus two battles."

The crowd cheered again, showing that they were excited for more battles, something the announcer noticed. "Shall we start them now?" He asked, to which the crowd cheered louder. "I'll ask again," he said. "Shall we start them now?"

The crowd cheered even louder, prompting most people to cover their ears to protect them from the excessive noise. "Okay," the announcer said, chuckling. "Here are the match-ups."

Everyone turned to face a screen as the match-ups appeared, taking a few moments to gaze at the names, promptly cheering when they saw their favourite battlers going up against other great battlers.

"It looks like I'm against Andy," Ash said, squinting as he tried to read the time he would be battling. "At six o'clock."

"I'm against Simon," Serena said, also looking for the time she would have her battle. "Directly after you battle," she finished, laughing, making Ash laugh as well.

"They must have done that on purpose," he said, unable to believe the mere idea that it was a mistake.

"Oh, by the way," the announcer said, gaining everyone's attention. "Seeing as a team of six Pokémon is required to enter the league, we have decided that you must use different Pokémon. Therefore, the Pokémon you used in the last round isn't allowed to battle until the fourth round. Choose two Pokémon from your team to use in this battle. The others are battling in the third round."

The crowd cheered, clearly excited by the news as no-one would be allowed to use their more powerful Pokémon for every battle.

"That changes things," Serena whispered to Ash, who nodded, having seen a large handful of battlers go white, presumably as they had used their best Pokémon in the first round.

"Now," the announcer said. "Make your way to the waiting rooms if you're battling in the next thirty minutes. The battles will start in five."

The battlers left the battlefield, many of them heading to the crowd to watch the battles, Ash and Serena included, who met up with the group again.

"How are you two feeling about that rule?" Max asked Ash and Serena, to which they both shrugged.

"We're okay with it," Ash said, looking at Serena to see her response only to see her agree with him.

"We keep our teams relatively balanced when it comes to strength," Serena told him, watching in confusion as Max pulled out a little notepad and started taking notes. "To make sure that-" she said before curiosity got the better of her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking notes," Max said, wondering why she was asking a question when the answer was obvious. "I want to be a trainer, so I take notes on everything I need to do to be strong."

Serena looked at Ash, who shrugged, prompting her to forget about it, looking onto the battlefield.

"What time is it?" Cilan asked Brock, to which he checked his phone before responding.

"It's half-past-two," he told Cilan, who sighed, clearly a little tired.

"It's going to be a while before Ash and Serena battle, then," he said.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	48. Chapter 48

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash, Serena, Brock, Cilan, Dawn, Misty, Iris and Max watched the next fifty-three battles utterly bored. The eight of them had grown tired of the same format over and over. The rest of the crowd seemed just as excited, however.

By the times the fifty-third battle ended, Ash and Serena bid farewell the group again. They headed down to the blue waiting room to wait to be called out.

"I've done the math," Ash said, gaining Serena's attention, confusing her.

"What math?" Serena asked, confused, to which Ash ignored her, proceeding to explain the math he had done.

"There are one-hundred and twenty-eight battlers in the second round. If we take our opponents and us out, there's one-hundred and twenty-four. If we half that for the number of battles, we have sixty-two. We saw fifty-three battles before coming here, so if we take that away with the battle now, there's eight left. That means that, after we battle, there are eight more battles before the third round starts," Ash told her, to which Serena smiled.

"Good," she said, laughing. "It's boring to watch loads of battles that progress in the same way."

"Sometimes there's a one-shot," Ash said, making Serena laugh a little before she corrected him.

"There was only one," she said, shaking her head. "And besides, that was a Weavile against a Hitmonchan."

"Yeah," Ash said, laughing. "I guess that Weavile was at a huge disadvantage."

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the two other people in the room breathe, one of them occasionally receiving notifications on her phone which would break the silence with a loud ping.

When Ash was started to get a little agitated, he saw the previous participant walk into the room, followed by the woman who told him to go to the battlefield. He kissed Serena goodbye before walking through the tunnel for the second time, pausing when he was by the exit as he waited to hear his name called.

"From the blue side," the announcer said, signalling for Ash to prepare to walk out. "Ash Ketchum!"

Ash walked out, waving a little at the crowd, deciding that it would be batter to do that than to do what he did the previous time. He walked up to his podium as the announcer called for his opponent, Andy Brian, who walked out of the red side, a bright smile on his face.

"Go, Trevenant!" Ash shouted, throwing a Pokéball which opened, sending Trevenant onto the battlefield.

"Go, Machoke!" Andy exclaimed, also throwing a Pokéball onto the field, releasing the middle-evolution of the Machop line, who flexed his muscles.

"You know the rules," the announcer said, chuckling as he realised that there wasn't a need for him to repeat the line for much longer. "Begin!"

'I've been lucky,' Ash thought, happy with his choice of Pokémon. Trevenant was part Ghost-type, meaning that Machoke, being a Fighting-type, would be heavily limited to the moves it could use. However, he could still attack Machoke with Ghost-type moves.

"Use Phantom Force!" Ash commanded, to which Trevenant teleported behind Machoke and smacked it in the head before disappearing, repeating the process multiple times from various angles.

"Use Thunder Punch!" Andy commanded, to which Machoke started to attempt to punch Trevenant with an electrifying-force, to no avail, as Trevenant was too fast for Machoke.

"Faint Attack!" Ash commanded, to which Trevenant teleported behind Machoke once more, smacking it in the back of the leg, making it fall onto one knee. "Now use Shadow Claw!"

Trevenant let one of its branches be engulfed by looming dark energy before slicing at Machoke, sending it sprawling onto the floor.

"Machoke is unable to battle!" The announcer said. "Please send out your next Pokémon."

Trevenant teleported back to Ash as Andy tried to decide which Pokémon he would use, eventually landing on;

"Klinklang!" Andy shouted, throwing the Pokéball of his second Pokémon, hoping that it would be enough to win.

"A pure Steel-type," Ash mumbled, trying to think about what to do. A Ghost and Grass-type wouldn't do much against a pure Steel-type.

"Discharge!" Andy commanded, smirking a little as he wondered what Ash would do.

"Use Horn Leech to intercept it!" Ash blurted out, having realised a crucial detail.

The two attacks collided, but instead of an explosion, the Grass-attack passed through the electricity, absorbing it though not harnessing the power before it slammed into Klinklang.

Andy let out a noise that said that he was confused, along with some of the crowd, who didn't understand what happened. "Grass resists Electric," Ash said to everyone, who thought about it for a moment before understanding. The Grass-attack had cancelled out the Discharge, absorbing it somehow and hitting Klinklang.

"Faint Attack!" Ash commanded, to which Trevenant teleported towards Klinklang, smacking it before Andy had Klinklang attack back.

"Mirror Shot!" He exclaimed, to which Klinklang took a step back, or, float back before it started to launch small, metal pellets at Trevenant.

"Get close to it with Phantom Force!" Ash shouted, to which Trevenant teleported towards Klinklang, taking a small amount of damage from the pellets before stopping the attack, sending Klinklang backwards. "Shadow Claw!"

Like he had done with Machoke. Trevenant sliced at Klinklang with the attack, sending it flying onto the ground, fainted.

"Klinklang is unable to battle!" The announcer said. "Ash is the winner!"

The crowd cheered as Andy returned his Pokémon, Ash returning Trevenant as well before he made his way to Andy.

"Congratulations," Andy said, shaking Ash's hand as he smiled at the victor. "I think you're going to get to the finals."

"I hope so," Ash said, chuckling as he rubbed the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed.

The two of them parted ways, Ash heading back to the waiting room, where he saw Serena, who stood up, quickly congratulating him before going to her battle.

Ash sat down again, contemplating as to whether or not he should stay in the waiting room or go to the stands before the battle started.

"Go, Froslass!" Serena exclaimed, sending out the Ghost and Ice-type Pokémon.

"Go, Gabite!" Simon shouted before he noticed the unfortunate circumstance. He would have sent out another Pokémon to avoid the disadvantage, but he couldn't without forfeiting Gabite from the match.

"Ice Beam!" Serena exclaimed instantly, almost jumping with joy as she realised that she could easily take out the first Pokémon.

Froslass prepared the attack before launching the icicle at Gabite, who didn't move and accepted its fate. The ice made contact with the Dragon and Ground-type Pokémon, making it faint as the attack was too much for it to handle.

"Another one-shot!" The announcer exclaimed, to which the crowd cheered in approval. Simon shook his head while laughing as he returned his Pokémon, sending the next one out.

"Go, Aerodactyl!" Simon shouted, releasing the Rock and Flying-type, hoping that it would survive the first attack.

"Thunderbolt!" Serena commanded, to which Froslass obliged, taking a moment to charge the attack before sending it towards Aerodactyl, who was damaged by the attack.

"Use Rock Slide!" Simon said, to which Aerodactyl obliged, summoning rocks which fell from the sky directly above where Froslass stood.

"Shoot them away with Shadow Ball!" Serena exclaimed, panicking a little as she instructed Froslass to do the first thing that came to her head.

Froslass started firing at the rocks, making Serena squeal with delight when the rocks smashed and fell around Froslass, none of them making contact with the vulnerable Pokémon.

"Ice Beam!" Serena instructed, to which Froslass repeated the process from earlier, sending the icicle through Aerodactyl's wing, making fall onto the floor. "Now, finish it with Shadow Ball!"

Froslass ended the battle by firing a ball of darkness at Aerodactyl, which made contact and fainted the Pokémon.

"Aerodactyl is unable to battle!" The announcer said, to which the crowd cheered. "Serena is the winner!"

As usual, the two opponents shook hands, the loser congratulating the victor for winning and wishing them luck before they parted ways.

Serena walked into the waiting room to be greeted by a kiss and a hug from Ash, congratulating her and taking her back to the stands.

They sat down with the group again, catching the start of the next battle; a Skiploom versus an Ambipom.

The group watched the battle finish before the next one started. The trainers walked out and sent out their Pokémon, only for one of them to send out a Druddigon and take out his opponent in one hit. He didn't even have a type advantage.

The crowd cheered at the one-shot before his opponent sent out their next Pokémon, an Excadrill, only for it to be taken out in two attacks, not even having a chance to retaliate.

"He looks like a formidable foe," Ash mumbled to Serena, who agreed, a little intimidated by the trainer. Sure, she and Ash had only used two Pokémon so far when most other people had used three, but they hadn't taken their opponents out so fast. This man seemed to be very strong as if he had been training his Pokémon for years on end without breaks.

* * *

The next few battles played out, and before they knew it, the round had ended. The announcer explained that the match-ups for the third round would be shared on the battlefield the next morning, and so, everyone dispersed.

"What do you think about that guy?" Ash asked his friends as they ate food in the café.

"Guy?" Iris asked, confused as she didn't know who Ash brought up.

"The guy with the Druddigon," Ash said, to which everyone except Serena shrugged.

"He's a good battler," Brock said, not sure if that was what Ash wanted to hear. "But he seemed quite average."

"Average?" Ash asked. "Average how?"

"There have been plenty of one-shots so far," Brock said. "Plus, he was quick to command Druddigon's attacks, so his opponent didn't have much time to instruct Excadrill on what to do."

Ash shrugged. Brock was right, but he couldn't shake the feeling off. It seemed almost as if something was calling out to him, to warn him about the man.

* * *

The rest of the day was quite relaxed. Ash and his friends caught up some more until half-past eight when he and Serena decided to go to their room.

They had showers and watched TV before going to bed, both of them silently worrying about the man with the Druddigon.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	49. Chapter 49

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash woke up with a start as Pikachu landed on his leg, having jumped off the chest of drawers on the opposite end of the room.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Ash asked Pikachu, whispering to try and avoid waking Serena.

Pikachu pointed at the clock, prompting Ash to look only to see that it was eight in the morning. Giving Pikachu a thumbs-up as a way of thanking him for waking him, Ash slid out of bed, letting Serena's arms flop onto the mattress.

Ash threw his clothes on and walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth, hearing the mattress squeak a little behind him.

"Is it time to get up?" Came Serena's tired voice from the other room, to which Ash peered around the door frame and nodded, making Serena groan. "It feels like we only just got in bed."

Ash spat the toothpaste into the sink and, after brushing water on his tongue to quell the burning, replied. "I know it does," he said, walking into the bedroom. "But we need to grab breakfast and get to the stadium for nine."

"How do you know?" Serena asked as she pulled her skirt on. "We weren't told yesterday."

Ash paused for a moment, looking at Serena, clearly confused. "You didn't see the notices?" He asked, to which Serena shook her head, making him laugh. "What would you do without me?"

Serena giggled a little, trying to remember if she saw a notice of not, eventually deciding that she either hadn't or had and taken no notice of the announcement.

Ash checked his phone while Serena brushed her teeth, and before they knew it, they had left the room with their Pokèmon.

"We'll get them fed first and then get breakfast," Ash told Serena. "It's more important that they eat instead of us."

A loud growl which came from Serena's stomach disagreed with Ash, but Serena ignored it, reasoning that the Pokèmon would be battling, not them.

* * *

They walked into the Pokèmon centre and, to their delight, saw that it was mostly empty. They quickly strode over to the counter, afraid that everyone in the area could burst in at any moment, and requested for Nurse Joy to feed their Pokèmon.

"Of course," Nurse Joy said with a smile, taking their Pokèmon and taking them to the back room for a moment, returning not long after. "Good luck today," she said with a smile as she handed the Pokèmon back.

"Thank you," Ash and Serena said in unison, returning Nurse Joy's smile before leaving in search of a café that was open.

* * *

It didn't take long to find one, and within twenty minutes, they left again, having eaten a filling breakfast.

"See!" Ash exclaimed, pointing at countless declarations all around the area which informed everyone to be in the stadium at nine for the match-ups.

Serena huffed, not understanding why she had missed them the night before as Ash checked the time, seeing that they had half an hour before they had to go to the stadium.

"What should we do to pass the time?" Ash asked, only for Serena to shrug.

"Go back to bed?" She suggested, to which Ash shook his head with a sigh. He wanted to believe that Serena was joking, but deep down, he knew that she was lazy.

Ash pulled his phone out and started to ponder about what they should do as he quickly texted Grace, Serena's mother, realising that she hadn't arrived as she promised.

As if Grace had known what Ash was doing, Serena looked around only to have the shock of her life when her mother merrily jogged over.

"Mum!" Serena exclaimed, pulling her mother into a tight embrace, almost falling over as they swayed back and forth.

"Hi," Ash said awkwardly, giving Grace a small wave which she tried her best to reciprocate with Serena squeezing the life out of her.

After a few moments, Grace patted Serena's back, prompting her to at least loosen her grip on her ribs, which she was sure wouldn't be able to withstand her daughter's vice-like hugs.

Serena let go, grinning before she turned to Ash and started jumping up and down on the spot. "You called her here, didn't you?" She squealed, unable to contain her excitement.

Ash nodded slowly, slightly afraid of what Serena would do to him. Would she never let go of him? Would she be clinging onto to his arm when he went out for his battle?

"Let's go and talk somewhere," Grace suggested, to which Ash and Serena nodded, following her as they made their way towards one of the many couches in the area.

They almost fell into the seat before they started to catch up, Serena giving Ash kisses on his cheek every five or so minutes, thanking him over and over for getting her mother to come.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Ash would say every time, only for Serena to grab his arm and squeeze it tightly.

An announcement rang out around the area, prompting everyone to go to the stadium; competitors on the battlefield, spectators in the stands.

Ash and Serena split up from Grace, making their way through the waiting room and onto the battlefield, joining the other battlers as they waited for the match-ups.

"Hello, everybody!" The announcer said, making the crowd cheer. "Welcome to the second day of the tournament! As we all know, yesterday was an incredible start for the competition, and today will be no less entertaining."

Many of the battlers exchanged glances, wondering about what was in store for them. The Kalos league had shown many occasions of 'special rounds,' where the rules would change. Whether it would end up with double-battles or even two trainers against one poor soul, the range varied.

"For the third round, we will be doing something different," the announcer started, making some of the battlers react in different ways of either shock or delight. "There are sixty-four of you left, meaning that we can separate you into groups of four. However, this group of yours won't be your allies."

Murmurs and whispers erupted around the stadium as everyone pondered what he meant, making the announcer chuckle a little.

"It's simple, really," he said. "The four of you will battle at once, and the two remaining battlers are victorious."

It seemed as though everyone liked the idea before someone in the crowd announced some concern. "What if two Pokèmon fall at once?" She called out, unsure if the announcer could hear her, which he could as he repeated the question.

"I'm assuming that you're referring to two Pokèmon fainting when there are three left?" He asked, squinting to see the girl nod. "We will be recording every battle, as we have been doing to broadcast it live to the world, so we can slow the footage down to decide." He explained.

The four screens in the stadium burst to life, showing the match-ups for the round.

Ash looked for his name and saw that he would be battling against a girl called Charlotte, a girl called Rachel and a boy called Alfred.

Serena gazed at her name for a few moments, her eyes darting between her opponents with an amused look on her face.

Ash noticed her dazed expression and hurriedly asked her what was wrong before Serena started to giggle.

Slightly alarmed, Ash looked at her opponents only to see what appeared to be the same person listed three times with three slightly different names.

Ash recognised her opponents that he also started to laugh. Three identical triplets had entered the tournament, and, as their names sounded the same, most people thought that it was the same person battling three times in every round. It turned out that their parents named them that way for a laugh.

"I forgot about those three," Serena said, giggling. "What a coincidence, though," she added.

A lot of people in the stadium also noticed this, and laughed, only for the announcer to chirp in, saying that it was intentional as it was funny.

These triplets were named Shawn, Shaun and Sean, and once Serena spotted them in the crowd of battlers, she made her way over to introduce herself and have a laugh about it.

Ash looked back at the match-ups and saw that he was battling at twenty-past ten, battle number six. He also noted that Serena's battle was the first, which he rushed over to tell her.

"I know," Serena said, giggling. "I always look at the time before my opponents."

After a moment, the announcer concluded the meeting and shunned everyone off the battlefield, saying that the battles would start at half-nine.

Ash and Serena walked back into the building to be greeted by Grace and Ash's friends, Dawn, Brock, Max, Iris, Cilan and Misty.

"Excited for the battles?" Brock asked Ash and Serena, who nodded enthusiastically.

"It will be strange to watch," Misty said, trying to imagine how it would look to see four trainers, each one trying to battle three Pokémon at once.

"We have the experience," Serena said, realising that the battling against Lysandre had paid off.

"Oh, yeah, of course!" Grace exclaimed. " I forgot to tell you, Serena, but I have met a very wealthy businessman who has invested in my company!"

Serena's jaw dropped so low that Ash was afraid it would smash into the ground.

"When?" Serena asked, amazed at the news. Her mother had been looking for an investor for a while.

"A few days ago," she explained. "That's why I wasn't here for your first two battles."

They talked for the duration of their time before an announcement came on to inform everyone that the battles would be starting in the next five minutes.

"I'll see you later," Serena told Ash and the others, to which they all wished her good luck while she went to the waiting room.

"I saw your battles on TV," Grace told Ash as they sat down in the stands, waiting for the first battle to start. "You and Serena can battle well!"

Ash blushed a little, intending to reply, but instead turned to his friends to start a conversation.

"What do you think this format is going to be like?" He asked Cilan, who shrugged,

"It would be like a double battle," he said. "But with every Pokémon attacking each other."

Ash understood what he meant, but he couldn't think of another way to word it. It was simply too confusing.

Everyone cheered as the first four trainers came out of the waiting room, Serena and the triplets waving at everyone.

No-one knew what the battles would be like, but they were about to find out.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	50. Chapter 50

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

As Serena walked onto the field, she saw Ash, her mother and Ash's past friends (who she now considered her own) in the crowd. Smiling and waving at them, she felt confident as she walked towards the odd-shaped set-up.

"May each of you choose a podium to stand on, please?" The announcer said, prompting the battlers to do as he requested.

Serena walked over to the closest podium, not wanting to have to walk across the arena. The podiums were set to shape a square, with Serena stood on the bottom left podium.

Once the others had reached their podiums, the announcer told the battlers to release their first Pokémon. Serena threw Delphox's Pokéball, releasing her starter Pokémon while Shawn released a Yanmega, Sean released a Venusaur and Shaun released a Gyarados. Serena noticed the trouble she would have against the Gyarados and sighed.

The crowd seemed to notice the situation Serena had found herself in as well, as many of them laughed while others sighed or disapproved in another way.

"This is a free-for-all," the announcer reminded them. "Try not to focus on one opponent at a time, or you may find yourself having lost a Pokémon."

Serena clenched her fists, trying to remember how she felt while battling Lysandre. She had managed to battle multiple Pokémon at once with her entire team, so this should be easier?

"Begin!" The announcer exclaimed, prompting the crowd to cheer before mayhem erupted.

"Use Psybeam on Gyarados!" Serena shouted, watching as Delphox fired purple energy from the end of her stick, which collided with Gyarados.

Serena had thought carefully about her plan moments before the battle had begun. Neither Venusaur nor Gyarados had an advantage against each other, meaning that they wouldn't attack each other until their foe was hurt. Venusaur wouldn't dare attack Delphox and would attack Yanmega while Gyarados would attack Delphox.

As Serena had expected, after her attack hurt Gyarados, Venusaur attacked Yanmega using Double-Edge, which damaged itself and dealt excessive damage to Yanmega.

"Use Hydro Pump, Gyarados!" Shaun shouted, watching as Gyarados fired copious amounts of water from its mouth towards Delphox, who Serena screamed at to jump out of the way.

Conveniently, Gyarados didn't stop shooting the water, giving Serena the idea to have Delphox jump behind Yanmega, who took the impact of the water and fainted.

"Yanmega is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted as Serena instructed Delphox to use Flame Charge on Venusaur, who took the attack as Shawn released a Manectric.

"Use Spark on Gyarados!" Shawn commanded, wanting to avenge his fallen Yanmega, only for the Electric-type attack to hit and force Gyarados to faint.

"Gyarados is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, watching Shaun return Gyarados and release a Skarmory.

"Use Earthquake!" Sean commanded, noticing that two of his opponents were weak to Ground-type attacks.

Serena braced herself, knowing that she had no chance but to let Delphox take the damage as Manectric attacked Skarmory with Discharge, dealing a decent amount of damage.

The attack collided, knocking Manectric out in one hit while leaving Delphox standing, dazed and severely weakened.

"Use Flamethrower on Venusaur!" Serena exclaimed, not wanted Delphox to endure the attack again, which Delphox sensed, knocking Venusaur out only seconds after Serena's instructions.

Shawn sent out his last Pokémon, a Cradily, while Sean sent out his second, a Salazzle.

"Use Air Slash on Delphox!" Shaun commanded, wanting the Kalos starter to finally faint, only for Delphox to counter it with Flame Charge, knocking it out due to the weakness to fire.

"Skarmory is unable to battle!" The announcer said, wondering how long it would before he would announce that Delphox had fainted.

"Go, Simisear!" Shaun exclaimed, releasing his final Pokémon, as he and Shawn silently agreed to focus on Salazzle so that their brother would only have one Pokémon left.

"Use Rock Tomb on Salazzle!" Shawn commanded his Cradily, who obliged and summoned rocks to fall from the sky above Salazzle.

"Use Rock Slide!" Shaun shouted, watching as Simisear did the same as Cradily, burying Salazzle underneath rocks, which slowly vanished, revealing a crushed Alola Pokémon.

"Salazzle is unable to battle!" The announcer said, trying not to laugh at the pathetic way the Pokémon had fallen.

Sean sent out his last Pokémon, Flygon, making Serena worry. Delphox didn't have much health left. How would she survive an onslaught from a Pokémon like Flygon?

Flygon attacked Simisear with Dragon Tail, sending it into Cradily, who retaliated with Rock Tomb, one of the rocks hitting Flygon on the head, dazing it a little.

"Use Flamethrower on Flygon!" Serena squeaked, hoping to convince everyone that she had a plan but was terrified of the potential trouble it would cause Delphox.

Flygon was hit by the flames, making it fly towards Delphox. Simisear used Shadow Claw, damaging Flygon and prompting it to defeat Simisear with Earth Power at Sean's request.

Serena suddenly understood. Shawn and Shaun were distracting Flygon, with the hopes that they could knock it out and then finish Delphox. Now that Simisear was out, it was down to Shawn.

Not wanting to give Shaun and Shawn what they wanted, Serena had Delphox attack Flygon with Psybeam before using Flame Charge on Cradily, leaving an opening.

"Use Dragon Rush on Cradily!" Sean commanded, to which Flygon zoomed into the air before it came crashing back down, slamming into Cradily, almost knocking it out.

"Use Flamethrower!" Serena shouted, watching as Delphox contributed to Flygon's downfall.

Cradily attacked Flygon with Energy Ball, almost leaving it fainted before Flygon used Flamethrower, finishing Cradily before Serena decided it was then or never.

"Psybeam!" She shouted, watching as Delphox fired the attack, praying that it was enough before she saw that Flygon had fallen to the ground, fainted.

"Cradily and Flygon are unable to battle!" The announcer almost screamed. "Serena is the winner, having finished the battle with only her Delphox! And as the last person to have a Pokémon faint also wins, Sean will go to the next round as well!"

The crowd burst into cheers and applause, making Serena blush a little before she rushed over to Delphox and hugged her, close to tears. "I'm so proud of you," she stuttered. "You've grown so strong."

Sean and Shawn returned their Pokémon before the three brothers walked over to Serena and shook hands with her, complimenting her battling skills and Delphox's strength.

"It was all Delphox," she told them, still about to cry. "I only wailed commands. She did all the hard work."

Serena returned Delphox before walking off the battlefield, only to be swept off her feet, quite literally, by Ash, who was beyond proud of her.

"You handled that incredibly!" He exclaimed, kissing her on the forehead, making her blush from the compliment and the embarrassment.

"That was superb, Serena," Dawn exclaimed, rushing over to give her a high-five, clearly quite close to her already compared to Ash's other friends.

Ash put Serena back onto the floor before the group decided to head back to the stands to watch the next few battles, anxious to see how they would go.

They sat down in the stands as they watched the next four contestants walk onto the battlefield. Ash could tell that they believed it would be easy because Serena's battle was entirely in her favour, but only one was correct.

One of the four contestants was the man with the Druddigon. Ash gulped as he watched the trainers release their Pokémon. There was a Sunflora, a Heatmor, a Staraptor and:

"Tyranitar!" The man shouted, throwing the Pokéball onto the battlefield, releasing the large Dark-Rock Pokémon.

"Begin!" The announcer shouted, starting the battle, watching intently as the man commanded his first move.

"Use Thunder Fang on Staraptor!" He shouted, not giving the other trainers any time to command their attacks.

Tyranitar rushed forwards, determined to get rid of the Pokémon that would most-likely knock it out in one shot with the right move.

"Use Fly!" Staraptor's trainer shouted, hoping that his Pokémon would be fast enough to escape the move.

He was wrong, however, as Tyranitar merely jumped half a metre off the ground and clamped its jaw around Staraptor's wing, to which the bird fainted with a scream.

"Staraptor is unable to battle!" The announcer exclaimed, watching as the boy returned the Pokémon that was still in Tyranitar's mouth before releasing a Beedrill.

"Use Rock Slide on Heatmor and then use Ice Beam on Sunflora!" The man shouted, snapping the two trainers out of their daze, having watched Tyranitar's brutal attack.

Before the trainers could command their Pokémon to move, they had already fainted from a mixture of being slightly weak but also because Tyrantiar was obscenely powerful.

The two girls returned their Pokémon, passing concerned glances to each other before releasing their next, a Vaporeon and a Noctowl.

"Rock Slide on Noctowl!" The man shouted immediately, making the Noctowl instinctively fly into the air, trying to dodge the attack. However, it was unlucky as the rocks circled above it before they came crashing down, one of them catching Noctowl, pinning it to the ground.

"Use Bubblebeam!" The Vaporeon's trainer exclaimed, hoping that her Pokémon would be able to hurt Tyranitar.

"Use Thunder Fang on the bubbles!" The man shouted, watching as Tyranitar obliged, letting the electricity pass through the bubbles, zooming towards Vaporeon before it made contact, blasting Vaporeon backwards, fainted.

"Now jump onto the rock on top of Noctowl and use Flamethrower on Beedrill!" The man shouted, wasting no time between attacks.

Tyranitar did so, crushing Noctowl enough to make it faint before unleashing flames on Beedrill, knocking out the Bug-Poison Pokémon.

The man's opponents returned their Pokémon, the girls releasing a Kabutops and a Gogoat while the boy released a Sliggoo.

Almost as if he believed his opponents had given up already, the man laughed before finishing the battle.

"Use Ice Beam on both Sliggoo and Gogoat," he instructed Tyranitar very calmly, watching as his unstoppable Pokémon destroyed them. "And use Flamethrower on Kabutops." He said moments before his Pokémon finished the battle.

"Sliggoo, Kabutops and Gogoat are unable to battle!" The announcer shouted. "Jason is the winner and Stacy goes to the next round as her Pokémon was the last to faint!"

The man reluctantly shook hands with his opponents before they left, letting the next battle start.

Ash and his friends looked at each other for a moment, shocked at what they had seen.

"I knew it wasn't a one-time thing," Ash muttered, almost shocked that he almost predicted the strength of the trainer.

"I thought it was just his Druddigon that was strong," Brock said. "Or that he was lucky."

"Ash," Misty said, looking over at him. "Serena," she added, looking between them. "Good luck."

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway,leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	51. Chapter 51

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

After Jason's battle, Ash left the stands, heading straight to the waiting room for some peace, coming across some other competitors who had the same idea. He flopped onto a chair and sighed, looking at his palms for a few moments while he processed what he had witnessed. His previous worries about the man were correct; he had incredible Pokémon, almost seeming like his Pokémon had been a gift from Arceus himself.

Though, only one question lingered in Ash's mind: Would he be able to beat the man? His Kalos journey had proved to him that he was sturdy enough to beat the league. But in the wrong circumstances, would he still be able to pull through?

As Ash thought about the lingering question, attempting to convince himself that he would be able to pull through and win the league, two battles passed by without him noticing. By the time that Ash finally snapped out of his trance, he realised that the fifth battle was taking place; he had to prepare for the fight.

Ash quickly decided which Pokémon he would start the battle with before the other fight finished and he, along with his opponents, was called onto the battlefield.

He walked over to his podium, ignoring the crowd as he rushed over his strategy in his head (not that he could make a reliable one with multiple opponents) and grabbed Talonflame's Pokéball.

"Are you ready?" The announcer asked the four competitors, who nodded before the battle started.

"Go, Pyroar!" A boy shouted, sending out the Fire-type lion.

"Go, Porygon," another boy muttered, looking tired.

"Go, Leafeon!" A girl exclaimed as she released the Eeveelution.

Ash released Talonflame, taking a second to think of a command before he settled on one. "Use Acrobatics on Leafeon!" He commanded, watching as his Pokémon soared past Pyroar and Porygon, who were already exchanging attacks, to hurt Leafeon.

Talonflame reached Leafeon, lashing out with her legs and wings, kicking and slapping Leafeon.

"Use Leaf Blade on the ground to spring yourself into the air!" Leafeon's trainer shouted, to which her Pokémon obliged, making Leaf Blade act like a catapult, sending it flying across the arena. "Now use Tackle on Porygon!"

Leafeon fell through the air, aiming at Porygon before crashing into it with twice the force of Tackle.

"Porygon is unable to battle!" The announcer exclaimed, hearing some of the crowd cheer while others sighed. "Leafeon is unable to battle, as well!"

The fall had knocked Leafeon out along with Porygon, leaving the trainers to return their Pokémon and release their second.

"Go, Archeops!" The girl shouted, throwing her Pokéball to release the Rock-Flying Pokémon.

"Go, Magnezone!" The boy exclaimed as he sent out his Pokémon.

"Use Rock Throw on Pyroar!" The girl shouted, addressing her Archeops while pointing at Pyroar.

Archeops obliged soaring into the air before launching a dozen rocks at Pyroar, all of them making contact, making the Fire-type Pokémon faint.

"Use Discharge, Magnezone!" The boy shouted, pointing at Archeops, hoping to take it out in one shot.

Magnezone attacked, sending the electricity towards Archeops, who tried to avoid the attack but was hit, falling from the sky.

"Pyroar and Archeops are down! Send out your next Pokémon!" The announcer exclaimed, watching the girl send out a Watchog while the boy sent out a Torterra.

Ash watched as Watchog put Magnezone to sleep with Hypnosis, feeling as if he wasn't doing enough.

Magnezone fell asleep and fell onto the ground before Torterra used Earthquake which knocked it out.

"Magnezone is unable to battle!" The announcer exclaimed, watching the boy release an Emboar.

"Acrobatics on Torterra, Talonflame!" Ash commanded before Talonflame commenced her attack. She soared over Torterra, kicking and slapping it with her wings and feet until it shook her off.

While Torterra was distracted with Talonflame, Emboar used Flamethrower on it, making it faint before Watchog used Hypnosis again on Talonflame.

"Talonflame!" Ash shouted as Talonflame fell out of the sky, having fallen asleep.

Moments later, Emboar attacked Watchog with Hammer Arm, knocking it out.

"Watchog and Torterra are unable to battle!" The announcer shouted as the girl returned Watchog and the boy returned Torterra before sending out his last Pokémon: Hitmonlee.

"Wake up, Talonflame!" Ash shouted to Talonflame desperately as Emboar attacked Hitmonlee with Rollout.

Hitmonlee retaliated with Brick Break, dealing some damage before being hit with Rockout again.

Talonflame managed to shake herself awake, relieving Ash, who told her to use Agility around the arena to gain some speed.

Talonflame flew into the air, gliding around the arena with increasing speed, earning cheers from the crowd before Ash gave her the next instruction.

"Use Razor Wind on Hitmonlee now!" Ash commanded, watching as she flew right over Hitmonlee with her wings outstretched, making two sharp gusts of wind slam into Hitmonlee, sending it flying across the battlefield.

"Hitmonlee is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd cheered as they knew the battle had ended. "Ash and Jake are the winners!"

Ash returned Talonflame while Jake returned his Emboar and the other boy, Caleb, returned his Hitmonlee.

Sheela, the girl in the battle, met Ash, Caleb and Jake, shaking hands with the three of them, smiling. "That was so cool!" She said, grinning before she looked at Ash and quickly dug through her bag. "This is for you," she said, handing him a Technical Machine for Flamethrower. "I noticed that your Talonflame doesn't know any Fire-type moves."

Ash took the disc and smiled at her, thanking her before releasing Talonflame. He scanned her with the Pokédex and inserted the Technical Machine into a slot at the bottom, to which the screen showed Talonflame's four moves.

"Which move would you like your Pokémon to forget?" The Pokédex chirped.

Ash selected Agility before Talonflame glowed orange for a moment, signifying that the move-change was successful.

"Thanks a lot," he said to Sheela, who smiled back.

"Anything to help a fellow competitor," she said before bidding farewell to Ash, Caleb and Jake.

The three of them left as well, Ash being greeted by Serena and his friends once he left the waiting room.

"Well done!" Serena exclaimed, hugging him and kissing him on the cheek.

"Thanks," Ash muttered, clearly happy at his victory but still feeling unsure about Jason.

"Should we skip the rest of the battles?" Grace asked them, to which everyone sighed with relief, having been hoping that they could escape the same format.

The group made their way to a sitting area, slumping onto the couch, Serena flinging herself over the side of the couch when she tried to sit down.

"Are you okay?" Everyone asked her, laughing as she clambered off the floor and onto the sofa, laughing.

"I'm okay," she said, sitting on the arm of the couch next to Dawn, one of her new best friends.

* * *

They sat and talked for an hour, occasionally pausing to look at a nearby TV screen when something exciting happened. When Jason's battle was brought up, everyone grew quiet and looked between Ash and Serena.

"What is it?" Ash asked them, confused as to why they were all looking at him and Serena.

"Well," Brock started, trying to think about how to word the question.

"Are you sure you're powerful enough to take Jason on and win?" Iris asked him, to which everyone looked at him, even Serena. They all seemed to be pondering the answer.

"Don't you think I'm strong enough?" Ash asked them, waiting for them to move and say that he was strong enough, but no-one moved. No-one said anything. No-one seemed to think that he was good enough.

"No," Cilan said eventually, trying not to be harsh but coming across as angry.

"You need to train a lot before you face him," Misty told Ash, shrugging. "If you face him."

"And if you don't face him," Max said, not sure how to finish the sentence, which Dawn finished for him.

"You'll have a stronger opponent to worry about," Dawn said, feeling bad that she had to tell Ash, her best friend, that he wasn't good enough.

"How do you know I'm not strong enough?!" Ash asked them, getting increasingly angry. "How do you know that I can't beat him?"

"We don't know for certain," Brock said, trying to steer the discussion towards something positive. "He might have a weak team other than Tyranitar and Druddigon."

"But we don't know if he does," Misty said, making Ash clench his fist a little.

"Why don't you put a little faith in me, then?!" He exclaimed, trying to keep himself from grinding his teeth together. "Who was the one to save Kalos with Serena?" He asked, glancing at Serena, who looked uncomfortable. "Who was the one who met Arceus?" He asked, looking between Brock and Dawn. "Who was the one who went back in time with Celebi?" He asked, looking from Brock to Misty.

"We know, Ash," Dawn said, getting increasingly more distressed. "I would be furious if people were telling me I was weak if I went through something like that," she said, at the brink of tears. Was she about to lose her best friend?

"Then how about you don't say that, then?" Ash asked, trying to control his temper, but having difficulty. Why wasn't anyone backing him up?

As if he sensed Ash's thoughts, Pikachu put his paw on Ash's head and growled at everyone. He had been with Ash for every step of the way. He didn't understand why they were all being so stupid.

"Listen, Ash," Iris said, being surprisingly calm. "I think you should prove to us that you're strong."

"I don't have to prove anything to you!" Ash shouted, deciding that he had enough, standing up and striding away, Pikachu clinging to his shoulder.

"Ash!" Dawn shouted, standing up to run after him before Misty pulled her down.

"We should leave him for a bit," she told her, sighing. "Let him calm down."

"I don't understand what their problem is!" Ash exclaimed to Pikachu, who shook his head, not knowing what was wrong with them, either. "Not even Serena would stand up for me. We've been travelling together for months! And she can't say to them that I'm strong enough."

"We'll prove them wrong!" Pikachu squeaked, giving Ash a high-five.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	52. Chapter 52

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Straight after, an announcement rang out around the arena, telling all competitors to gather on the battlefield.

Ash rushed over to the battlefield, noticing the drastic difference in the number of trainers compared to before; about the size of a school classroom.

He made his way over towards the centre of the battlefield, making sure to avoid Serena as the announcer started talking.

"Welcome to the fourth round!" The announcer exclaimed, watching as the crowd cheered, knowing that there would almost only be exciting battles. "For this round, we're going back to the one versus one format. However, there's a twist. You will be using three Pokémon, but if there's a Pokémon on your team that the crowd hasn't seen yet, you have to use them," he said, looking down towards Ash, Serena, Jason and a few others. "Therefore, there will be at least five of you using three new Pokémon."

The crowd screamed with excitement, making everyone cover their ears to block the noise. It was so loud that it scared the battlers a little, some of them thinking that there was an attack while others thought that someone had fainted.

"Here are the match-ups!" The announcer shouted as the four screens lit up, showing everyone who they were battling.

Ash looked up and saw that he would be battling a girl called Sarah at the start of the round. After a glance, he saw that Serena had the fifteenth battle, but he didn't bother to notice who she was facing.

"Off you go," the announcer said, ushering everyone off the battlefield. "The first battle will start in a few minutes."

Ash walked off the battlefield with everyone else and into the waiting room. He paced around the room, waiting for the battle to start while thinking about what the announcer had said. He didn't want to show his Yveltal to everyone in the world. He mentioned in an interview that he and Serena had Yveltal and Xerneas. What would happen if he revealed Yveltal in battle?

He heard the announcer stating that the battle would start in a few moments, prompting Ash to rush down the tunnel before pausing at the end.

"From the blue side," the announcer started. "Ash Ketchum!"

Ash walked out as the crowd cheered, but he paid no notice. He walked to his podium and stood on it, trying to decide which Pokémon he would use. Hopefully, he would only have to use Gallade or Greninja.

"From the red side, we have Sarah Chase!" The announcer called, watching as an attractive girl in her late teens rushed over to the podium, waving at Ash from across the battlefield.

Ash waved back, wondering why she was waving to him. Was she an admirer of some kind?

Ash looked around and noticed Serena and his "friends" in the crowd. He turned away quickly, hoping that they didn't see him looking at them. He couldn't believe what they said.

"Begin!" The announcer shouted, catching Ash off guard, making him fumble with his Pokéballs and throw one at random.

Shocked by what he had done, Ash prayed a collective prayer to Arceus and every legendary Pokémon he could think of, hoping that he hadn't sent out a Pokémon he had used before. Would he be disqualified if he had?

Luckily, Gallade came out as Sarah released an Omastar, making Ash sigh with relief.

"Use Water Pulse!" Sarah commanded, again catching Ash off guard. If he didn't focus soon, he might lose the battle.

"Use Psycho Cut to divert the water!" Ash blurted out, slightly impressed with himself as he could think quickly.

Gallade conjured the attack and sliced at the oncoming water, creating two separate waves which rushed on either side of him. "Now use Magical Leaf!"

Ash saw Sarah recoil a little. He was lucky to have a type-advantage with a single move.

Gallade obliged, using his psychic ability to conjure leaves and send them darting towards Omastar.

"Use Rock Throw on the leaves!" Sarah commanded, to which Omastar starting flinging rocks at the leaves, knocking some out of the air while others rushed past and made contact.

"Now use Disarming Voice!" Ash shouted before Gallade let out an ear-piercing scream which shook the stadium, making people cover their ears, especially Ash, Pikachu, Sarah and Omastar as they were so close.

Omastar fell onto its side, having fainted from the screeching. "Omastar is unable to battle!"

Sarah hastily returned her Pokémon before releasing the next: Dusknoir.

"Shit," Ash muttered, noticing that Gallade also looked a little shocked. "Magical Leaf!"

Gallade, as quick as he could, conjured the attack and sent it towards Dusknoir, who blocked with its hands and took a minuscule amount of damage from it.

"Disarming voice!" Ash commanded, quickly turning to the crowd and adding a "sorry" before Gallade's screams shook the arena once more.

"Dark Pulse!" Sarah shouted, only Dusknoir hearing her over Gallade's screaming.

Dusknoir fired the attack at Gallade, who jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the attack while still screaming.

"Use Magical Leaf at the same time!" Ash shouted, looking at Dusknoir who was covering its ears, clearly pained by the screams.

Gallade sent the attack at Dusknoir, who didn't notice, the leaves cutting its stomach and chest.

Dusknoir recoiled a little before falling over, fainted. "Dusknoir is unable to battle!"

Sarah returned Dusknoir and released her last Pokémon: Florges.

"Use Psychic!" Ash shouted as the Grass-Fairy Pokémon appeared before him.

Gallade concentrated hard before he picked Florges up and started slamming her into the ground, shaking her before throwing her to the other side of the field.

"Draining Kiss!" Sarah shouted, hoping that Florges had enough energy to make use of the move.

Florges stood up before blowing a kiss towards Gallade, who was struck with the attack, having some of his health drained away.

"Rush over and use Psycho Cut!" Ash shouted, watching Gallade bound over towards the giant flower, psychic energy forming a blade in his hand.

Gallade struck Florges, knocking it back with only a little health left. "Finish it with Magical Leaf!"

With the last attack, Florges fainted, the leaves fluttering to the ground around her as Sarah returned her Pokémon.

"Florges is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted. "Ash is the winner!"

Ash returned Gallade, thanking him for his help before he walked over to Sarah and shook her hand.

"Would you mind if we talk for a bit?" Sarah asked Ash, praying that he would accept.

Confused, Ash shook his head, deciding that he would let her talk to him. "We can talk," he said, to which Sarah smiled.

"I have to go this way," she said, gesturing towards the red waiting room. "Meet me by the reception desk."

Ash nodded, parting ways with Sarah, heading through the blue waiting room and towards the reception desk to wait for her.

He stood waiting for a few seconds before he felt a sudden change in weight; Sarah had pounced onto his back.

"Hi!" She said joyfully, laughing as she slid off, allowing Ash to stand up straight.

"Hi," he said, giving her a quick smile before they made their way over towards two couches and sat down, sitting opposite each other.

Ash caught a glimpse of the area he was sat before with his so-called friends, to which he shuddered a little, trying to control his anger. "What is it you want to talk about?" He asked Sarah, trying to distract himself.

"Nothing, really," she said, brushing her hair out of her face. For the first time, Ash took in her details. She was a tall, blonde-haired girl, a little, red ribbon wrapped around a braid. She wore simple clothing, jeans, a cardigan and a T-shirt that looked two sizes too big for her.

Ash leant back in his chair, feeling Pikachu jump over his head and onto the seat next to him, curling up on a cushion.

Sarah smiled at the Pokémon, thinking Pikachu was cute. While she watched Pikachu drift off to sleep, Ash pulled his hat off, letting his hair free for a bit.

They sat in silence for a few seconds, neither of them knowing what to say. Ash tapped on his legs a little, desperate to think of something to say. "You have a good team," he said, at last, mentally slapping himself. Was that it?

"Thanks," Sarah said, fiddling with her hair, removing the ribbon and pulling the braid apart, letting her hair fall loosely across her chest and back. "Your team is much better, though."

Pikachu smiled, clearly having heard the compliment.

Ash shrugged it off, not believing what he said. In his mind, no Pokémon was better than another. They were all equal, with equal potential.

They sat in silence for a few more moments before they heard cheering from a nearby TV screen. A battle had finished.

The third battle of the round started, and Ash and Sarah looked over at the screen only to see Jason release a Steelix.

Ash turned away quickly, writhing with anger. Jason was the reason why his "friends" believed him to be weak. Jason was the reason why his "friends" had turned their backs on him.

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked Ash, who had been clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles had turned bleach white.

"I-I'm fine," Ash stuttered, starting at a cushion, pretending to be intrigued by its pattern.

"That guy's strong, isn't he?" Sarah asked, clearly referring to Jason. Ash, who didn't expect her to talk, let out an odd sound which was a mix between a gasp and an exhale.

"Yeah," Ash said. "He is," he finished flatly, hoping that Sarah would catch the hint and stop talking about him. She didn't.

"In a way," she started. "I'm slightly glad that you beat me," she said, making Ash look at her, confused. Sarah noticed his confusion and carried on. "If I had won that battle, I might have had to face him or someone stronger," she said, pointing at Jason, who had finished the battle instantly, having had Steelix use Iron Tail on a Clefairy.

Ash nodded and stayed silent. He desired to tell Sarah how he was worried about later in the league to how his "friends" had given up on him. But, on the other hand, he felt that Sarah would laugh at him or wouldn't care.

Sarah seemed to catch onto what Ash was thinking, as she proceeded to ask something which made Ash jump: "Are you nervous about battling him?"

Ash nodded, disregarding his confliction before telling her everything, the entire time Sarah listened intently and sympathised with Ash.

"Well," she said once he finished. "I think you should keep avoiding them for a bit. Keep your distance and battle Jason when the time comes. They should come around and realise that you're right."

Ash looked at her, staring into her eyes for a few seconds. "I can't avoid my girlfriend," he told her, sighing. "Once the fourth round had finished, there won't be any more today. I'll have no choice but to go and sleep in the same bed as her without beating Jason."

"You can still ignore her," Sarah suggested, shrugging. "If she tries to apologise, then everything will be okay. If not, ignore her."

It would be hard to ignore Serena. Ash loved her passionately and had since he was young.

More cheering came from the TV; the sixth battle of the round had ended. He looked over and thought he caught a glimpse of Serena briskly walking away. Shrugging it off, he continued to talk to Sarah, a little more relaxed than before.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway,** **leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	53. Chapter 53

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Forty minutes passed before the round ended and the announcer told everyone to get food and that the league would continue in the morning. Ash had been talking to Sarah the whole time and didn't even realise that Serena's battle had been and gone.

He and Sarah stood up, but instead of parting ways, Sarah suggested that they get food together.

Happy with the idea of spending more time with his new friend, Ash accepted and followed her to a burger café.

* * *

They ate and chatted until an hour had passed, making it six o'clock. When Ash checked the time and saw this, he begrudgingly told Sarah that he had to go.

"How come?" She asked, looking disappointed. "It's not that late!"

"I'm going to head back to my room," Ash told her. "That way, I might be able to get to sleep and shower before Serena gets there."

"Serena?" Sarah asked, thinking. "Isn't she that girl that helped you save the region?"

Ash nodded, sighing as he recalled that, somehow, the fact that he saved region didn't convince his "friends" that he was tough.

"Well, that is a good idea," Sarah said, smiling at him. "Could I have your phone number?"

Ash nodded, taking a napkin from the table and a pen from his bag before writing his phone number on it, leaving it on the table.

"Night," Ash said to her before walking to the hotel. He stepped into the lift and pressed the button for his floor.

Ash walked down the hall once the lift opened and unlocked the room, opening the door to see the empty room.

Sighing in relief, having expected Serena to be there, Ash went into the bathroom for a shower.

Ash pulled his clothes off and clambered into the shower, almost catching his foot on the shower door.

He turned the water on, letting it run cold across his back before it started to warm up. He could only think about the night to come. How was he going to cope with Serena? There was always the option of sleeping somewhere else but, even though he was angry with Serena, he didn't want her to worry.

Ash started to wash his hair before letting the water wash the shampoo away. He watched it spin before flowing down the drain, wishing that his problems could do the same.

As he started to wash his body, he heard the door to the hotel room open. He hoped that it was room service. Even a murderer would be better than Serena.

He waited for a few moments as he rinsed the soap away before deciding to get out and listen. Ash turned the water off and stepped out, hastily grabbing a towel before drying himself, being careful not to get too much water on the floor.

Usually, Ash would sleep in his underwear, but decided to put his clothes back on before leaving. He wouldn't want an employee to see him close to naked.

Ash opened the door and walked out once he saw Serena sat on the bed. She looked over at him, but Ash didn't look at her again. Instead, he lay down on the other side of the bed and closed his eyes. If he could sleep, it would be ideal.

Serena cleared her throat and turned to him, sighing when she saw that he was trying to sleep.

"Listen," she started, hoping to catch his attention but failing. Not wanting to waste her time, she turned the TV on and laid down next to Ash.

Ash lay on the bed, desperately trying to drift off while listening to the TV. It was early, though. Would he be able to fall asleep?

He tried to relax his body but wasn't able to. Was it Serena being next to him that distracted him?

He thought for a few seconds before he felt something on his hand. He opened his eyes and saw Serena pull her hand away.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed. "I-I'm used to it," she told him, to which she shrugged.

"Okay," he replied, closing his eyes again even though he almost wanted to let her hold his hand.

There were a few moments of silence between them before Pikachu hopped onto the bed and curled up between them.

Serena looked at Pikachu for a moment, then at Ash and back to Pikachu. Suddenly, she had a thought.

"So," she said. "Who were you with before?" She asked, looking at Ash, who didn't bother to open his eyes again.

"I was with Sarah," he told her, to which Serena sighed.

"On a first-name basis, are we?" She asked, growing steadily angrier. "That close now, are we?"

"We're not close," Ash said, opening his eyes to look at her. "We're just friends. And yes, we're on a first-name basis. That's what friends do!"

"And how do I know you're telling the truth?" She asked, sitting up so fast that she lost vision for a few moments.

Ash raised an eyebrow at the question, not sure how to answer. Surely she didn't mean what he thought. She wasn't accusing him of cheating, was she?

"Because I haven't lied to you before," Ash said as calm as possible, but he could feel his temper rising. "If anything, you're more likely to lie to me!"

"When have I ever lied to you?" Serena asked, her voice a little shaky. Had she lied to Ash before?

"You'd say that you love me," Ash said, his voice cracking a little. He was finally letting his anger out. "You've said that for ages, but I know you don't love me!"

"Ash!" Serena exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes. "Don't say that!"

"Do you know why I know you don't love me?" Ash asked, trying not to shout. "Because if you loved me, you would stick up for me! I was being insulted by the people who I thought were my friends, and of all people, I would have expected you to stay with me! But no, you sided with them!"

Serena bit her lip to stop herself from breaking down. What could she do? She knew that she had been horrible to him.

Ash stayed silent for a moment, feeling as Pikachu shifted uncomfortably beside him before jumping off the bed and heading to a corner.

He watched Pikachu spin in circles before settling down, only hearing Serena's muffled sobs from beneath her shirt.

"I-" Ash started, turning to look at her before jerking his head away instantly. He never intended to make her cry. "I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, forcing himself to turn around and hug Serena.

"No," Serena mumbled, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as he returned the embrace. "I should be sorry, not you."

They sat in silence, not noticing anything but the warmth of each other.

Ash pulled away from her and gave Serena a quick peck on the cheek, to which she smiled, tears still in her eyes.

"Don't cry," Ash mumbled, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "There's nothing to cry about."

Serena pulled away to look at Ash. She was so happy that they had made up.

Ash and Serena looked into each other's eyes before they leant in and started to kiss while Pikachu watched them, smiling.

* * *

The next day, Ash and Serena made their way to the Pokémon centre to feed their Pokémon. They had talked until they decided to go to bed the night before. While they were walking, the topic of Ash's friends came up.

"What do I do?" Ash asked her, to which Serena shrugged.

"Ignore them," she said, unable to think of an alternative. "They'll come to you when they realise you're wrong."

Ash thought for a moment before he thought of a question. "Why didn't you say anything to them?"

"I didn't want to cause a scene," Serena said, sighing. "I tried to convince them after you left, but only my mother seemed to listen to what I had to say."

They entered the Pokémon centre and handed their Pokémon to Nurse Joy for feeding.

They took them back a minute later, thanked her and left to get breakfast for themselves.

* * *

"The fifth round is upon us!" The announcer shouted to everyone. Ash and Serena stood with the sixteen other trainers, both of them noticing how full the stands were and how empty the battlefield was.

"Like the last round," the announcer said, looking at Ash, Serena, Jason and another boy. "You are required to show Pokémon you haven't used previously. However, to make this more exciting, you will only be using two Pokémon for this round!"

Ash and Serena looked at each other, both of them thinking the same thing. What would happen with Ash's Yveltal?

"I'll have to use him in the next round if Greninja doesn't faint," Ash mumbled, sighing. He wasn't looking forward to revealing his legendary Pokémon to the world.

As usual, the match-ups appeared on the four screens. Ash looked at one of them and saw that he was against Jacob, which scared him for a moment as he thought it read "Jason."

"Third of eight battles," Ash said, sighing. He would have prefered to have the first battle, but he didn't mind.

"I'm starting the round," Serena said, seeing that she was against Roger, another trainer who had only used four Pokémon so far.

"Battles start in five minutes," the announcer said, ushering everyone off the battlefield.

Ash decided to wait with Serena and remain in the waiting room until it was time for his battle. As he followed her, he noticed a few people in the crowd look at her, a little worried.

They sat down in the waiting room and waited in silence until the announcer started to talk.

"I should go," Serena said, kissing Ash quickly before rushing down the tunnel, waiting at the end.

"From the blue side," the announcer started, making everyone look over at the blue tunnel. "We have Serena Yvonne!"

The crowd cheered as she walked out, heading towards the podium with a Pokéball clutched tightly in her hand.

"From the red side, we have Roger Flayer!" The announcer added, watching as Roger walked out to loud cheers. "Begin!"

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway, leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	54. Chapter 54

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

"Go, Milotic!" Serena shouted, sending out the Water-type, snake-like Pokémon.

"Go, Golem!" Roger shouted. Instead of a regular Golem, much to everyone's surprise, an Alolan Golem was released.

"An Alolan Golem!" The announcer shouted, earning cheers from the crowd. "For those who don't know, Alolan Golem is a Rock-Electric-type Pokémon!"

"Use-" Serena started, but stopped herself, unable to think of an attack that would be efficient.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Roger shouted, to which Serena started to panic.

"Use Dragon Tail to absorb the attack!" Serena shouted as Milotic complied, managing to block the attack with milliseconds to spare.

"Smart move there by Serena," the announcer said. "Dragon resists Electric, after all."

"Disarming Voice!" Serena shouted, to which Milotic started to scream, but unlike Gallade, Milotic was almost singing. It was so pleasant that Alolan Golem became a little dazed. The noise of the attack was damaging Alolan Golem, but it didn't do anything to prevent it.

"Hydro Pump!" Serena shouted, watching as Milotic suddenly fired a beam of water at Golem, who didn't have time to block the attack and was sent flying into a wall, close to fainting.

"Rock Throw!" Roger shouted, hoping to inflict some extra damage on Milotic before Alolan Golem would inevitably faint.

"Make it ricochet off Dragon Tail!" Serena commanded, to which she held her tail in the air and let the rock smack it before bouncing back and hitting Alolan Golem.

"Alolan Golem is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted.

"Go, Kangaskhan!" Roger shouted after returning Alolan Golem.

"Aqua Tail!" Serena commanded, watching as Milotic span around and smacked Kangaskhan, spraying water everywhere.

"Headbutt!" Roger shouted, to which Kangaskhan rushed forwards, ready to slam into Milotic.

"Dragon Tail!" Serena shouted, to which Milotic spun around and changed her tail to resemble a dragon's; scaly and spiky. Straight after, she smacked Kangaskhan in the head.

Kangaskhan fell to the ground, fainted, having been unable to withstand the hard blow.

"Kangaskhan is unable to battle!" The announcer said. "Serena is the winner!"

Serena returned Milotic with a smile before she rushed over to Roger and shook his hand.

"That was impressive," he told her, smiling. "I hardly damaged your Milotic."

Serena said nothing but smiled before she bid farewell to Roger, heading back to the waiting room to see Ash.

"That was brilliant, Serena!" Ash exclaimed, giving her a quick hug and a kiss while the next battle started.

"Thanks," she said, giving him a warm smile before kissing him back.

Serena decided to stay with Ash, so they sat down together and watched the battle that was before Ash's.

Maisy and Adam were battling, two decently strong trainers. Maisy used a Haunter and a Blaziken while Adam used a Mismagius and a Snorlax, only for Maisy to win.

"Your turn," Serena said as Adam passed them and headed towards the stands.

Ash stood up and walked through the tunnel, pausing at the end for the announcer to call him out.

"From the blue side," he started. "Ash Ketchum!" He called, to which the crowd burst into cheers.

Like last time, Ash walked out and quickly scanned for his "friends" as he waved, hoping that no-one would question his movements. Once Ash saw them, he made a mental note to avoid looking in that direction.

Ash stood at his podium as his opponent was called out with a tight grip on Greninja's Pokéball.

"Begin!" The announcer shouted, to which Ash promptly lobbed the ball, releasing Greninja.

"Go, Meganium!" Jacob shouted as he released his Pokémon. "Use Petal Blizzard!"

"Use Extrasensory!" Ash shouted, to which Greninja used his hands to manipulate the petals, which stabbed Meganium. "Now use Quick Attack!"

"Earthquake!" Jacob exclaimed, hoping that, using a move with a large radius, he would be able to hurt Greninja.

"Use Water Pulse to surf in the air!" Ash shouted moments before the earthquake began.

As instructed, Greninja, still running, used Water Pulse, firing it towards Meganium before he hopped on top, narrowly avoiding the earthquake as he travelled at twice the speed.

The crowd burst into applause and cheers as Greninja made contact with Meganium, knocking it out from the exceptional force demonstrated by the combination.

"Meganium is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, and, as Jacob returned Meganium, Ash could see him smiling.

"Go, Banette!" He shouted, releasing the Pokémon. Everyone thought that he was about to launch an attack, but almost everyone stopped breathing when he lifted his sleeve to reveal a Mega Bracelet. "Mega Evolve!"

A surge of rainbow-coloured energy fired out of the bracelet as if the sun were reflecting through a prism. The rainbow surrounded Banette, spinning faster and faster before a burst of white light engulfed the stadium. When the light faded, Mega Banette stood in Banette's place.

"Use Dark Pulse!" He shouted, dragging the stadium out of its trance.

"Smack Down!" Ash shouted as well, realising that he still had the advantage. No matter what, Greninja was part Dark-type.

The moves collided and caused a mini-explosion in the air, forcing both Pokémon back a bit.

"Water Pulse!" Ash shouted, hoping that Jacob wouldn't have a counter for his attack.

Sure enough, moments later, Jacob's call of "Shadow Ball" annoyed Ash. He didn't want a battle where everything would be cancelled out.

"Use Extrasensory on the water!" Ash exclaimed, watching as Greninja pulled the water from the air and stretched it out, almost like a blanket so that Shadow Ball collided. "Wrap it up!"

Greninja threw one side of the water, making it twirl, wrapping Shadow Ball in a blanket of water. "Now use Quick Attack on it!"

Greninja slammed into the concoction with enough speed that, seconds later, it collided with Mega Banette, sending water everywhere.

"Banette is unable to battle!" The announcer exclaimed when the smoke cleared.

The crowd erupted into cheers, thoroughly impressed by Ash and Greninja's performance.

Jacob returned Banette before he made his way over to Ash.

Ash returned Greninja before he met Jacob and shook his hand.

"Amazing strategy," he told Ash, who grinned, pleased with himself.

"Thanks," Ash replied, feeling Pikachu waving at the crowd from his shoulder.

Ash and Jacob left, heading through their respective tunnels. Ash met Serena in the waiting room, and they decided to head to the stands to watch the next battles.

"We'll need to know who we're up against," Ash explained, to which Serena nodded.

"I want to see Jason's battle, as well," she said as they made their way to two spare seats, receiving a little praise from the people they passed.

They sat down as the fourth battle neared its climax, a Hypno battling a Slaking.

Hypno used Psychic followed by Ice Punch, which finished Slaking, ending the battle.

"Jason's next," Ash heard a woman whisper to her husband from behind him.

Suddenly, Ash noticed that a knot had formed in his stomach. He realised that, despite his dread of facing Jason, he wanted him to win his battle. If he didn't, Ash knew that there was a possibility of facing a tougher opponent, a thought that made the knot tighten.

Jason walked out moments before his opponent did so. Ash could see that Jason didn't seem worried. It was almost as if he knew he would win.

As the battle started, Jason sent out a Blastoise, who he Mega Evolved immediately while his opponent released a Poliwrath.

Blastoise used Dragon Pulse as soon as the white light faded, taking Poliwrath by surprise.

The attack collided before Poliwrath attacked with Brick Break, a move that Blastoise promptly mimicked, attacking Poliwrath's attack, overpowering the Water-Fighting-type Pokémon, sending it backwards.

"Skull Bash," Jason said calmly, watching Blastoise tuck his head into his shell as he prepared the attack.

Poliwrath used Ice Beam, hoping to freeze Blastoise and stop it from using Skull Bash, but to no avail. The ice made contact with Blastoise as it sped forward, shattering the ice and slamming into the Poliwrath, who fainted on impact.

"Poliwrath is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd cheered while Ash and Serena looked at each other, intimidated by Blastoise's strength.

Jason's opponent returned Poliwrarth and released Venusaur. Jason, surprisingly, didn't seem scared by the type-disadvantage. He almost seemed amused along with Blastoise.

"Dragon Pulse," Jason murmured as Blastoise obliged, firing the attack at Venusaur, who resisted it much better than Poliwrath.

"Solar Beam!" Venusaur's trainer shouted as Jason told Blastoise to use Skull Bash again.

The two Pokémon waited for a moment, setting up their moves before, suddenly, they burst to life.

A pale, green light started to form above Venusaur's flower while Blastoise flew forwards. Venusaur fired the attack, which made contact with the floor underneath Blastoise, sending it flying into the air, still tucked into its shell.

Blastoise flipped a few times in the air before it started to fall towards Venusaur. It altered itself and aimed directly at Venusaur's flower before slamming into it.

The impact shook the stadium, Blastoise being sent into the air again, zooming out of the gigantic dust cloud that formed around Venusaur.

Blastoise slammed into the floor in front of Jason, close to fainting.

"Venusaur is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, to which the stadium erupted into screams and cheers.

Venusaur's trainer returned it and, without another word, turned around and left the stadium, resulting in the crowd shouting at him for being a sore loser.

Jason returned Blastoise and left the stadium, heading to the Pokémon centre to heal Blastoise after the battle.

Ash and Serena, however, had no interest in watching the next three battles. For the first time, they had seen Jason's Pokémon get hurt. Maybe it was possible to beat him, after all.

They stood up and left the stands, a little shaken by Jason's battle. They walked to a sitting area, where they decided to wait for the round to end.

"You're going to have to use Yveltal in the next round, I assume," Serena told Ash, who nodded, sighing.

They talked about small, irrelevant things, passing time. They checked the TV after ten minutes and saw the last battle end.

"Come on," Ash told Serena as the announcer's voice rang across the area. "Let's go and see the match-ups."

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway,** **leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	55. Chapter 55

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena walked onto the battlefield for the umpteenth time and, as usual, they noticed how empty it was. This time, there were only eight competitors left, as opposed to sixteen.

"I remember when this was full," Ash whispered to Serena, who nodded, agreeing.

"Welcome to the sixth round!" The announcer started, making Ash wonder if he had grown bored of announcing the rounds yet.

"Like the last round, we're going to be reducing the number of Pokémon used to one," he said, to which the crowd cheered. "Again, anyone who hasn't used all of their Pokémon yet has to use a new one," he said, eyeing Ash, Serena and Jason.

"Brilliant," Ash mumbled, to which Serena giggled.

"Don't worry," she said. "We'll see Jason's last team member, at least," she added.

Ash nodded, realising that she was right. They would find out, and that information would be useful in case they battled him.

"Here are the match-ups!" The announcer shouted as the four screens around the stadium lit up to reveal who would be battling.

Ash and Serena looked up and sighed with relief when they saw that they weren't battling each other or Jason.

"I'm against Ian," Serena said, looking at her opponent. She knew that Ian had revealed his whole team, but she didn't know what Pokémon he had. "Second battle."

"I'm battling Jasmine right away," Ash said, looking across the battlefield towards a girl who was scowling. "She looks grumpy."

Serena looked as well and laughed, seeing that, as Ash said, she looked as if she had a pole shoved up her arse.

"Battles start in five minutes," the announcer said, urging everyone to get off the battlefield.

Ash and Serena went straight to the waiting room as Ash was battling first, sitting down to wait.

After a few minutes of silence, the announcer started talking, starting to introduce the round properly.

"I should go," Ash told Serena, giving her a quick kiss before he made his way through the tunnel.

"From the blue side, we have Ash Ketchum!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd erupted into cheers. It seemed that everyone wanted someone left to win, as they were all likeable and influential.

Ash walked out, waving briefly to the crowd, Pikachu doing the same. Ash, unlike Pikachu, however, was worried about the reaction he would receive for using Yveltal.

"From the red side, we have Jasmine Thomas!" The announcer shouted, earning more cheers as Jasmine walked out, still looking miserable.

After Jasmine stopped by her podium, the announcer asked them to release their Pokémon.

"Go, Snorlax!" Jasmine shouted, releasing her Pokémon, earning more cheers. It seemed as if she had used the Pokémon before and battled extraordinarily.

Ash took a deep breath before he threw his Pokéball. "Go, Yveltal!" He shouted, to which the stadium grew quiet, staring in shock as the Pokéball opened and the Legendary Pokémon Yveltal materialised in front of them.

Ash could see that no-one believed what they were seeing, even Jasmine, who stood opposite him, staring.

"Hello?" Ash asked everyone, looking around, hoping to pull them out of their trance.

Yveltal saw what Ash was trying to do and let out a ground-shaking roar which shook everyone out of their trances.

The stadium erupted into cheers louder than they had previously been, making Ash cover his ears.

"Ash Ketchum has released the Legendary Pokémon, Yveltal!" The announcer shouted, making the cheers grow louder. "This has never been seen before!"

It took a few moments for everyone to go quiet before the announcer started the battle.

"Dark Pulse!" Ash shouted, to which Yveltal pulled its wings together, slowly creating a mass of dark energy.

"Body Slam!" Jasmine shouted, clearly hoping that she would be able to tackle the Goliath of a Pokémon.

Snorlax ran, or stumbled, towards Yveltal before launching itself into the air.

Yveltal, however, had finished conjuring Dark Pulse and threw it at Snorlax, who was struck in the stomach and sent zooming high into the air.

Everyone watched Snorlax ascend a couple of hundred feet before he slowed down and started descending, eventually slamming into the ground.

"Well," the announcer said. "It did use Body Slam."

The crowd laughed before Jasmine returned Snorlax and left the stadium in a huff.

Ash shrugged, patting Yveltal on the wing, who came over to ask if he overdid it. "You didn't," he said, chuckling before returning his Legendary.

He made his way back through the tunnel, only to find Serena and the other two competitors unable to stop laughing.

"It wasn't that funny," Ash said, sitting down as Serena got up.

"It was!" She said, trying to compose herself before making her way through the tunnel.

"From the blue side, we have Serena Yvonne!" The announcer exclaimed before Serena walked out, waving to the crowd as she made her way to the podium.

"From the red side, we have Ian Clay!" The announcer said with less enthusiasm, but Ian walked out to cheers nonetheless.

The two opponents stood in silence for a moment before the battle started.

"Go, Absol!" Serena shouted, releasing her Pokémon, who burst out of the ball and let out a tiny growl. "Mega-evolve!" She exclaimed, pressing on her Mega Bracelet which wrapped Absol in white light, leaving Mega Absol in its place when the light faded.

"Go, Gorebyss!" Ian exclaimed, throwing his ball which released the Water-type Pokémon. "Use Water Pulse!"

"Use Night Slash to split the attack and then rush at it with Psycho Cut!" Serena commanded, watching as Absol forwards, brandishing a sword of dark energy, slashing at Gorebyss' attack before running ahead and cutting Gorebyss with Psycho Cut.

"Use Psychic!" Ian shouted, to which everyone stared at him, including Gorebyss and Absol, who thought he had gone mad. "Oh, yeah. Psychic-type moves don't affect Dark-types."

Serena took the opportunity to attack again, having Absol use Sucker Punch, which connected with Gorebyss and sent it sprawling onto the ground, fainted.

"Gorebyss is unable to battle! Serena is the winner!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd burst into cheers.

Ian and Serena returned their Pokémon before shaking each other's hand and parting ways.

Serena walked into the waiting room to find Ash and two others laughing about Ian forgetting the Dark-types Psychic immunity.

"It wasn't that funny," Serena said, giggling a little.

"It was!" Ash exclaimed, mimicking Serena from a few minutes ago.

Serena sighed and playfully pushed Ash as he stood up, making him stumble but laugh nonetheless.

They walked out of the waiting room and headed to the stands in time to see the third battle begin, which was Jason's battle.

"Go, Gyarados!" His opponent shouted, releasing the Water-type.

"Go, Entei!" Jason bellowed, making the stadium hush.

Like when Ash released Yveltal, everyone cheered, but it seemed as if they cheered less for Jason than they did for Ash. Either they preferred Ash, or they thought that Yveltal was more impressive.

Ash and Serena looked at each other before sighing. After everything, powerful Pokémon, a Mega Evolution and now a Legendary Pokémon, they didn't think that Jason could get any stronger.

"Use Sunny Day!" Jason commanded, starting the battle officially.

Entei stood still for a moment, his eyes closed before everyone noticed as the sun grew brighter.

"Hydro Pump!" His opponent shouted, to which Gyarados opened its mouth and sent water zooming towards Entei.

"Use Lava Plume at your feet!" Jason shouted, confusing everyone, but they saw his plan when Entei flew into the air, letting the Hydro Pump fly underneath him.

Entei dropped from the sky and landed on top of Gyarados, making it writhe around, trying to shake Entei off it.

"Earthquake!" Jason shouted, watching as Entei stamped on Gyarados' head multiple times before the Pokémon started to convulse, shaking violently on the spot.

Gyarados fell over, letting Entei roll off it and watch as, when Gyarados stopped shaking, it fainted.

"Gyarados is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd burst into cheers.

Jason returned Entei as his opponent returned Gyarados. They walked up to each other and shook hands before leaving the battlefield.

"All of his Pokémon are incredible," Serena said to Ash, who nodded, looking a little nervous.

"I'm scared," Ash said, sighing. "There's a thirty-three per cent chance that I'm going to be battling him."

"Don't worry, Ash," Serena said, giggling. "If you battle him, I'm positive that you'll win."

"What makes you say that?" Ash asked her as the two battlers in the last battle walked out.

"You're an incredible trainer," Serena told him, giving him a warm smile. "It's about time that you win a league, and I think that you'll win this one. You have a Legendary Pokémon, Ash!"

Ash smiled at her, blushing a little at her compliment. Deep down, he knew that she was right.

* * *

The fourth battle passed uneventfully before the last four battlers in the league, Ash, Serena, Jason and Maisy.

"If this goes the way I'm expecting it to go," Ash said to Serena as they walked onto the battlefield. "I'll be battling Jason now and you in the final."

Ash and Serena stood next to Maisy and Jason before the announcer spoke.

"The semi-finals are upon us!" He exclaimed, to which everyone cheered. "For the semi-finals, everyone will be using their entire team," he said, pausing for the crowd to scream in delight.

"Of course there will only be two battles," the announcer said, making the crowd go quiet. "So, here's who will be battling!"

Everyone turned to face a screen as gasps and cheers filled the stadium. "As you can see," the announcer said. "The first battle will be Jason versus Maisy!" He shouted.

Ash and Serena looked at each other, both of them shocked. There was a thirty-three per cent chance, but they didn't expect to be battling in the semi-finals.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway,** **leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	56. Chapter 56

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash and Serena parted ways, Ash going to the blue waiting room while Serena went to the red waiting room.

They sat down and watched the separate screens as Jason and Maisy's battle took place. Ash, however, knew that Jason would win. There wasn't any way to deny it.

Ash had his head in his hands, trying to think of a strategy he could use against Serena. The problem was that they took ideas from each other and incorporated them into their battles. If they used the same techniques, it would take donkey's years to finish.

Ash could hear that Jason had knocked out one of Maisy's Pokémon. He looked up to see his Steelix attacking her newly sent out Blaziken with Earthquake as Sandstorm repeatedly battered the Fire-Fighting-type.

Ash buried his face in his hands, starting to breathe hard. He hadn't thought about it, but he didn't want to beat Serena. He didn't want to battle her.

"At least it's the semi-finals," Ash mumbled to himself, feeling his hot breath against his already sweaty hands.

He looked up again and saw Blaziken faint. From what he had heard before, Maisy had lost her Swellow and her Blaziken as well. She seemed to be having trouble with Steelix, even though one of her Pokémon weren't affected by two of its moves while the other had a type-advantage.

Ash knew that Jason was powerful, but he also knew that Maisy was strong, having reached the semi-finals. How could she be losing to Jason like this?

Maisy released her Haunter and used Shadow Ball on Steelix, which made it faint after being weakened by the rest of her team.

"Steelix is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted. The crowd cheered, though it seemed only half-hearted, and Jason released Druddigon, which used Shadow Claw and knocked Haunter out with one hit.

"Haunter is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted.

The fact that Maisy knocked out one of Jason's Pokémon was comforting, as it was the first time anyone had made a Pokémon of his faint. However, if it took three Pokémon to beat one of his, Maisy didn't stand a chance.

He heard a groan from the crowd and looked up only to see that Jason had Druddigon use Night Slash on Maisy's Gardevoir, which knocked it out straight away. It seemed, even though the crowd wanted Jason to win, they were sympathising with Maisy.

Ash could understand why, of course, having lost five leagues. The pain of having your last Pokémon faint in front of millions of people was excruciating.

"Gardevoir is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted for the fourth time, clearly a little sick of it.

Maisy returned Gardevoir and released a Sceptile, who she had use Dragon Tail upon its release.

Sceptile darted across the field and leapt into the air, swinging its tail wildly, which let off a faint purple glow before he smashed it into Druddigon's head.

Druddigon stumbled a little before Jason had it attack with Night Slash, which connected and sent Sceptile flying across the stadium.

Sceptile crashed into a wall before clambering up onto its feet again, to which the crowd cheered in delight.

"Earthquake!" Maisy shouted, to which Sceptile stomped its feet a few times, making the ground in the stadium vibrate.

Druddigon fell over and was battered by rocks, sending a dust cloud into the air which slowly dissolved to reveal a fainted Druddigon.

"Druddigon is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, earning cheers from the crowd.

"Entei!" Jason shouted, releasing the Legendary Pokémon. "Lava Plume!"

Entei launched a large sum of lava into the air, which descended upon Sceptile, engulfing it and making it faint in an instant.

"Sceptile is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd cheered again.

Maisy released her last Pokémon, Clefable, and everyone knew that it would faint very soon.

"Dazzling Gleam!" Maisy shouted, only for Jason to have Entei use Earthquake, which shook the ground too much for Clefable to attack.

"Now, use Lava Plume!" Jason exclaimed, to which Entei launched the attack, drenching Clefable in lava which knocked it out after a few moments.

"Clefable is unable to battle! Entei is the winner!" The announcer shouted, making the crowd scream and cheer.

Maisy returned her Pokémon, smiling despite her loss. She met Jason in the middle of the field and shook his hand before leaving.

"Good luck," she said to Ash as she passed, heading to the stands.

Ash stood up and walked to the end of the tunnel, able to hear the crowd talking in excitement once he stopped.

"The final battle of the semi-finals!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd cheered louder. "From the blue side, Ash Ketchum!"

Ash walked onto the battlefield, his chest vibrating slightly as his heartbeat so fast.

He stopped at his podium and looked through the crowd, desperately searching for his friends. It didn't matter what they thought about him. Ash only wanted support.

After a moment of searching, he spotted them, something that they noticed as they waved. Why were they waving? Did they believe in him?

"From the red side, Serena Yvonne!" The announcer shouted, to which she walked out.

Ash could see that she was nervous as well. She was breathing faster than usual, which proved her feelings.

Serena stopped at her podium and flashed a quick smile at Ash, who returned it, able to feel his t-shirt sticking to his back from sweat.

"Begin!"

"Go, Froslass!" Serena shouted, releasing her most recent addition to her team.

"Go, Gallade!" Ash shouted, releasing the Psychic-Fighting-type Pokémon.

There was a moment where no-one in the stadium moved. No-one seemed to be breathing before Serena made the first move.

"Use Shadow Claw!" She shouted, to which Froslass darted towards Gallade, prepared to attack.

"Use Psycho Cut!" Ash shouted, watching as Gallade transfigured his arm into a blade that radiated with purple energy. Gallade then darted forwards and slashed at Froslass' Shadow Claw, destroying the attack and hurting Froslass in the process. "Magical Leaf!"

Even though the Ice-type resists Grass-type attacks, Froslass recoiled a little as the attack hit.

"Thunderbolt!" Serena commanded, to which Froslass obliged, conjuring electricity with its hands before firing it at Gallade.

The attack collided with Gallade, who winced and fell onto one knee before Ash told him to use Psychic.

Gallade lifted Froslass further into the air before throwing it against a wall which knocked it out.

"Froslass is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted as Serena returned Froslass and released Roserade.

"Grass Whistle!" Serena shouted as soon as Roserade appeared, to which the Pokémon unleashed spores that landed on Gallade and made him fall asleep.

"Come on, buddy!" Ash shouted, urging Gallade to awaken. "Wake up!"

"Magical Leaf!" Serena exclaimed, watching Roserade throw a handful of leaves at Gallade which shot towards him, slicing his sleeping body.

"Wake up!" Ash repeated, desperately. If Gallade went down, it would be five versus five. Ash wanted one extra Pokémon than Serena to boost his chances of winning.

"Giga Drain!" Serena said, with a tone that told everyone that Gallade would faint.

As expected, Gallade fainted as Roserade absorbed health that took the form of small, green specs.

"Gallade is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, to which Ash returned Gallade.

"Talonflame!" Ash shouted, releasing the Fire-Flying Pokémon. "Flamethrower!"

Talonflame soared into the air before opening its mouth and sending flames towards Roserade, which engulfed it and almost knocked it out.

"Poison Sting!" Serena exclaimed, panicking slightly. She, like Ash, wanted to have an extra Pokémon to give an advantage.

Roserade fired a stinger, much like the one of a bee or a wasp, which embedded itself in Talonflame's wing, making it squeal in pain.

"Acrobatics!" Ash shouted, to which Talonflame shook the pain off and soared towards Roserade, smacking and kicking it a few times before Roserade fainted.

"Roserade is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted while Serena returned Roserade.

Talonflame shook a little, indicating that it had taken some damage due to the poison in its wing as Serena released Milotic.

"Aqua Tail!" Serena shouted, to which Milotic leapt into the air and attempted to slam her tail into Talonflame.

"Quick Attack!" Ash shouted, to which Talonflame darted forwards and slammed into Milotic's chest, making it fly backwards, her tail missing Talonflame as she hit the wall.

"Hydro Pump!" Serena shouted, watching as Milotic fired a big jet of water at Talonflame.

Talonflame took the impact of the water and was drenched as the poison hurt her more.

Ash, knowing that Talonflame was close to fainting, had it use Razor Wind, which connected with Milotic.

Milotic fainted as the poison in Talonflame's wing hurt her more, making her faint as well.

"Milotic and Talonflame are unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, making the whole crowd cheer. Whether they were supporting Ash or Serena, it was a good thing that both Pokémon fainted.

Ash and Serena returned their Pokémon, looking at each other for a moment and sharing smiles. They wouldn't allow themselves to forget that, no matter what, this didn't affect their relationship.

"Go, Trevenant!" Ash shouted, releasing the Grass-Ghost-type Pokémon.

"Go, Delphox!" Serena exclaimed, releasing her starter. "Flamethrower!"

"Phantom Force!" Ash shouted, to which Trevenant fazed into the floor, letting Flamethrower pass through where it was before it appeared on the other side of Delphox and smacked her. "Shadow Claw!"

Trevenant slashed at Delphox with Shadow Claw before she used Psybeam, sending Trevenant flying back a few metres.

"Horn Leech!" Ash exclaimed, to which Trevenant obliged, pointing two sharp branches at Delphox before zooming forwards, impaling Delphox. "Feint Attack!"

Trevenant hit Delphox again, this time in the face, before dropping her.

"Delphox!" Serena exclaimed, clearly worried about her Pokémon. "Flame Charge!"

Delphox, who was close to fainting, used Flame Charge, which singed Trevenant, making it flinch a little.

"Flamethrower!" Serena shouted, to which Delphox used her wand to attack Trevenant with more fire.

Trevenant fell over, fainted, to which some of the crowd cheered.

"Trevenant is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted as Ash returned his Pokémon.

"Go on, buddy!" Ash shouted, indicating Pikachu, who jumped off his shoulder and onto the battlefield. "Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu's cheeks sparked for a few seconds before he fired a large bolt of electricity towards Delphox, who took the attack and fainted instantly.

"Delphox is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway,** **leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	57. Chapter 57

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

"Sylveon!" Serena exclaimed as she sent out her closest Pokémon. "Swift!"

"Double Team!" Ash shouted, watching as Pikachu multiplied seamlessly into what was at least fifty Pikachu.

Sylveon's attack cut down about twenty Pikachu, searching for the real one before it struck Pikachu in the tail, making him roll over a little, regaining his composure.

"Quick Attack!" Ash shouted, to which the thirty Pikachu rushed forwards and leapt into the air, all of them crashing into Sylveon, but only one of them dealt damage.

Pikachu's doubles faded away, leaving Pikachu in front of Sylveon, leaving him and Sylveon to continue the battle, which didn't take long as Pikachu used Iron Tail, smacking Sylveon.

"Draining Kiss!" Serena exclaimed as Sylveon rolled over. In an attempt to recover from Pikachu's attacks so far, she kissed him for a few moments, absorbing as much of his health as possible before Pikachu pulled away.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, but for a moment, Pikachu remained stock-still. He hadn't expected a moment of intimacy in their battle. "Thunderbolt, Pikachu!" Ash repeated, snapping his best friend out of his trance.

Pikachu leapt into the air as Sylveon used Swift. Pikachu's cheeks sparked before he sent a bolt of electricity through the stars, cutting through them like a hot knife through butter, which hit Sylveon in the face and made her fall over.

"Bite!" Serena shouted, hoping to deal enough damage to make Pikachu faint. Both of their Pokémon were close, after all.

Sylveon clamped onto Pikachu's tail once he landed on the floor, making Pikachu scream a little before the two of them fell over, fainted.

"Pikachu and Sylveon are unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, but no applause or cheers filled the stadium. Instead, everyone knew that Ash had two Pokémon left, Greninja and Yveltal, while Serena had one, her Mega Absol.

"Go, Absol!" Serena shouted, releasing her last Pokémon, which she promptly Mega Evolved as soon as it touched the ground.

"Greninja!" Ash shouted, releasing the Water-Dark-type as Mega Absol took Absol's place.

The two Pokémon stood still, staring at each other, something which their trainers mimicked. No-one in the stadium seemed to breathe until gasps erupted from everywhere. Greninja seemed to have exploded into a jet of water which fired into the air.

"It seems that something has happened to Ketchum's Greninja!" The announcer shouted, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Ash looked over at Serena, who smirked back. She already knew that she would lose.

"Quick Attack!" Ash shouted, to which Greninja, still in the water, zoomed forwards and slammed into Mega Absol with twice the energy as a regular attack.

"Night Slash!" Serena exclaimed, watching Mega Absol slash at Greninja multiple times, who jumped over each attack.

"Smack Down!" Ash commanded, to which Greninja compiled and conjured a giant rock from mid-air, slamming it onto Absol's head. "Now, use, Water Pulse to finish it!" Ash shouted, to which Greninja fired a jet of water, twice the size of a regular Water Pulse, at Absol.

The attack connected and Absol was blown off its feet and sent crashing into a wall before it fainted, leaving the crowd to cheer at the sheer power that Greninja, or whatever this form was, had demonstrated.

"Absol is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted. "Ash and Greninja will go through to the final!"

The crowd burst into louder cheers and applause. It was so much louder that Ash and Serena had to cover their ears as they returned their Pokémon.

"There will be a thirty-minute break before Ash and Jason will give speeches and have their battle!" The announcer shouted, fighting to make himself heard.

Ash and Serena shook hands quickly, even though they would most likely kiss once out of the crowd's sight, and left the stadium.

"I knew you would win," Serena said to Ash once they met next to the Pokémon centre to heal their Pokémon. "You've always been stronger than me."

"No, Serena," Ash said, shaking his head as they entered the Pokémon centre. "I have more experience. I'm no stronger than a new trainer."

Nurse Joy congratulated Ash on his victory once they approached the counter, to which he smiled and shook his head a little.

"Could you heal our Pokémon, please?" Serena asked her, to which she nodded, smiling.

"Of course!" She said, taking their Pokémon from them and putting them in the healing-machine as requested.

After a few moments, she handed them back, wished Ash luck in his battle against Jason, and bid them farewell.

They left and were immediately approached by a few passers-by, some of who wished Ash luck, some of who ridiculed him, saying that Jason should win, and some of who looked at Ash and Serena for a few moments before realising that they were at least friends and not strangers.

Ash and Serena ignored them all, having never wished for the attention, and merely made their way over to a couch to sit down and talk before Ash would have his battle.

After a few minutes of small-talk, Ash felt a poke in the back of his head. He spun around, expecting to see Serena's outstretched hand, but was shocked to see Misty along with Brock, Iris, Cilan, Dawn, Max and Serena's mother, Grace, stood behind him.

"We just want to say that we're sorry," Misty said, sighing before leaping over the couch and sitting next to Ash.

"We were a little rude to you," Brock said, walking around the couch with the others as they didn't wish to fall over attempting Misty's stunt.

"Grace had nothing to do with it, though," Dawn said, sitting next to Serena, giggling. "She explained later. She planned to stay behind and try to change our minds but didn't realise that, because she stayed, it looked like she was against you, as well."

Ash looked over to Grace, who shrugged, chuckling a little, making Ash laugh as well.

"Well," he said, not sure what to say. "You lost faith in me. I can't blame you for it," he finished, unable to think of what he could add.

Ash glanced at Serena, who looked extremely uncomfortable. She had sided with them, after all, saying that he was weak.

No-one said anything for a few moments, a few of them occasionally glancing at the time.

"You have twenty minutes, Ash," Max said to him after a moment.

"You need a speech, right?" Cilan asked him, to which Ash shrugged.

"I think that's what he said," Ash replied, unsure himself.

"Would you like to practise now?" Brock asked him, to which he shook his head.

"It would be better for me to speak from the heart, I think," he said before feeling stupid. Why did he say something so cheesy?

Iris chuckled a little at what he said, commenting that it didn't sound like Ash at all, to which everyone, including Ash, agreed.

* * *

They sat and talked until Ash and Jason were told to go to the battlefield via the intercom. Ash was to go through the blue waiting room and Jason the red.

"Good luck!" Everyone said in unison to Ash as he stood up, giving them a quick smile.

"We'll be cheering you on until you win!" Serena said, giving him a quick kiss.

"Thanks, guys," Ash said before he turned his back on them and made his way through the waiting room.

Ash walked onto the battlefield along with Jason, only able to hear the roaring of the crowd.

Pikachu, like usual, sat on Ash's shoulder, waving at everyone as Ash made his way to his podium, which had a large microphone attached to one of the supporting bars.

"Welcome to everyone watching, whether you're in the crowd or watching at home, welcome to the final of the Kalos League!"

It wasn't the announcer who said it, but a familiar, feminine voice. Diantha was with the announcer in the top box.

The crowd cheered louder when they noticed Diantha, who smiled and waved at them.

"Before we start our battle," she continued, looking between Ash and Jason. "We would like our competitors to give a few words about how they reached this point. Let's start with you, Jason."

The crowd cheered as Jason leant into his microphone, tapping it twice to make sure it worked, before talking.

"Well," he started. "It's a long story. I started in Kanto, attempted the league and failed. Flew to Alola for a fresh start and won the league there. Then I went to Johto, won the league there, and now I'm here."

The crowd cheered at his story, clearly impressed that he had won two leagues already.

"What motivated you to carry on?" Diantha asked Jason, who shrugged.

"I wanted to be like my father," he said, shrugging, making the crowd aw at him. "My Dad is the Kanto gym leader Luitennant Surge, so I've always been exposed to influential trainers. I guess that I wanted to be like the man I idolised," Jason finished, to which the crowd cheered, clearly moved by what he had said.

"What about you, Ash?" Diantha asked, turning to Ash, movements which the entire crowd mimicked.

Ash hesitated for a moment before he recited his journey so far. "I grew up in Pallet Town in the Kanto region. Pikachu, here, was my starter Pokémon because Professor Oak ran out of traditional starter Pokémon," he said, which made the crowd laugh. "I travelled through the region and met friends along the way," Ash said, making sure to keep Brock and Misty's identities a secret. "I lost the Kanto league."

"But you carried on?" Diantha asked, to which Ash nodded.

"I failed miserably, but I wouldn't let one loss affect my thoughts. I travelled with my friends to the Orange Islands and won the league there, which was motivating for myself. I then went to Johto, followed by Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova, all the while meeting new people and travelling with new faces," he said. "Now," he added. "I'm here. And I'm happy beyond belief that my friends stayed with me for the whole time."

The crowd cheered and smiled before workers rushed over to Ash and Jason, wishing them luck and taking the microphones away.

"And now," the announcer said, making the stadium go quiet as the workers left the battlefield. "Let the final begin!"

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway,** **leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	58. Chapter 58

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash woke up abruptly, looking around the hotel room. He had a head-splitting headache and noticed empty wine bottles littered around the room.

He sighed, climbing out of bed to put some clothes on, only to wince and fall back over when his headache got worse.

Bravely, he tried again, lifting himself out of bed and throwing some clothes on. For a strange reason, he was completely naked when he rose from the bed, but without Serena there to see him, he didn't feel awkward.

He pulled his shirt on and sat down again. The day before had been hectic. He strained to remember the final. After a moment, he started to relive the previous day.

* * *

"Go, Gallade!" Ash shouted, officially starting the battle with the Psychic-Fighting Pokémon.

"Gengar!" Jason exclaimed, releasing his Pokémon at the same time as Ash, sighing at the type-disadvantage.

"Psychic!" Ash commanded at once, making Gallade lift Gengar into the air, slowly constricting its movements.

"Hypnosis!" Jason said, to which Gengar started to stare into Gallade's eyes.

"Resist it, Gallade!" Ash cried. He knew that Gallade going to sleep would greatly hinder his chances of winning.

Gallade tried with all of his might to stay awake but inevitably dropped Gengar as he slumped over, fast asleep.

"Shadow Ball!" Jason shouted, to which Gengar conjured and fired a large, dark, mysterious ball towards Gallade, which connected and sent him flying across the stadium.

Gallade, though having been damaged extensively, woke up from the impact, letting out a cry of his name.

"Psycho Cut!" Ash shouted, to which Gallade charged forwards, sprinting towards Gengar with a psychic-blade, ready to strike.

"Sludge Bomb!" Jason exclaimed, Gengar obliging by throwing a ball of sticky poison at Gallade's feet, which exploded and covered Gallade in the poisonous substance.

Gallade attacked Gengar with Psycho Cut, wincing as the poison stung his body.

The two Pokémon broke apart, panting a little before they both collapsed, fainted.

"Gallade and Gengar are unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, the crowd cheering at the outcome.

Ash and Jason returned their Pokémon and released their next, Ash releasing Trevenant and Jason releasing Tyranitar.

"Phantom Force!" Ash shouted at once, watching Trevenant disappear, only to pop up behind Tyranitar, smacking it in the back of the head with a branch.

"Ice Beam!" Jason cried as Tyranitar spun around and grabbed onto Trevenant before preparing to fire a beam of ice at its face.

"Horn Leech!" Ash exclaimed at once, unsure whether the attack would suffice to block Tyranitar's Ice Beam.

Trevenant moved two branches on its head to resemble horns, pointing them at Tyranitar before desperately attempting to charge forwards. Tyranitar's grip loosened a little before Ice Beam was unleashed, blasting Tyranitar and Trevenant away from each other.

"Flamethrower!" Jason shouted, watching the flames blast across the stadium.

"Phantom Force!" Ash cried. "Get away from there!"

Trevenant sank into the ground as the flames cut through the air where it stood moments earlier.

"Earthquake!" Jason exclaimed, hoping to trap Trevenant under the ground and deal copious amounts of damage.

Trevenant came up as the Earthquake started. It hit Tyranitar with enough force to knock it over before Earthquake battered the two of them, knocking them both out.

"Tyranitar and Trevenant are unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, earning more cheers. "So far, both trainers have lost two Pokémon. Will this last until a one versus one?"

Ash and Jason returned their Pokémon, taking a moment to think about who they would send out next.

"Talonflame!" Ash shouted at the same time as Jason released his Steelix. He smiled, realising that he had a type-advantage and could see Jason scowl.

"Flamethrower!" Ash shouted immediately, only for Jason to have Steelix use Iron Tail repeatedly.

Steelix swung at Talonflame, who tried to dodge the attack but smacked on the wing. She spun in the air, firing Flamethrower into the crowd by accident, who were protected by a thin but powerful pane of glass.

"Try again!" Ash shouted, only for Talonflame to successfully hit Steelix as it aimed another Iron Tail.

Steelix winced, the injured area glowing a diluted red, indicating that the flames had damaged it immensely, burning Steelix.

"Sandstorm!" Jason shouted moments before the battlefield was swept by aggressive wind which emitted from Steelix along with a stream of sand.

The dust on the floor rose into the air and started to batter Talonflame. She landed on the ground and covered her head with her wings, trying to resist damage.

"Earthquake!" Jason commanded over the loud gust of wind.

Ash heard him and desperately tried to get Talonflame's attention. "Into the air!" He cried. "As quick as you can!"

Talonflame didn't listen. She wasn't going to be beaten up with dirt, dust and sand.

"USE RAZOR WIND!"

Talonflame heard and, agreeing that it was a good idea, pulled her wings away for a moment before flapping viciously, sending the storm of particles in the other direction before taking off.

Earthquake merely brushed Talonflame's feathers as she flew into the air and faced Steelix, who ceased using Sandstorm to conjure Earthquake.

The crowd cheered madly upon seeing the scene, deeply impressed by Ash's quick thinking and Talonflame's trust in her trainer.

"Use Quick Attack to gather speed!" Ash shouted over the cheers, watching Talonflame start zooming around the stadium, getting higher and higher as she did so. "Now use Flamethrower on Steelix as you fly!"

Talonflame did as she was told, turning her head to face Steelix before unleashing unforgiving, angry flames.

The flames started at the bottom of Steelix, but slowly covered its whole body in the same colour as before when she slowly lifted her head.

After a few moments, Talonflame had turned Steelix's body to a bright red instead of the regular silver.

Steelix fell backwards, inadvertently telling everyone that it had fainted.

"Steelix is unable to battle!" The announcer said, making the crowd cheer.

Jason returned his Pokémon and released Druddigon before having it use Dragon Tail.

Talonflame swerved out of the way of the attack, using Quick Attack at Ash's request to get closer before slamming into Druddigon's leg, knocking it off balance.

"Night Slash!" Jason commanded, making Druddigon bend low to swipe at Talonflame, who was trying to weave in and out of Druddigon's legs to escape.

It took a few moments, but Druddigon's attack made contact with Talonflame's body and pierced it, pinning Talonflame to the ground in a morbid fashion.

"Talonflame is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd cheered int he same fashion as they cheered for Jason.

Ash returned the loyal bird and released his next Pokémon through different methods.

"Go on, buddy!" Ash shouted, pointing his arm forwards, letting Pikachu run up it and leap onto the battlefield.

"Slash!" Jason commanded, to which Druddigon sprinted forwards, brandishing a sharpened claw, ready to strike.

"Double Team!" Ash exclaimed, to which Pikachu obliged, multiplying into at least thirty identical Pikachus.

Druddigon slashed through a handful of Pikachu before Ash had them use Thunderbolt. Together, all of them using the same move, the stadium was illuminated with vibrant, yellow light.

Though only the real Pikachu's Thunderbolt did damage to Druddigon, Druddigon was a little disoriented when the light faded, leaving Pikachu's clones to vaporise and for Ash to command the next attack.

"Iron Tail!" Ash shouted, determined to keep the damage going to Druddigon without giving it a chance to attack.

Pikachu rushed over and leapt into the air, spinning as his tail turned to pure metal.

He made contact, his tail slamming into Druddigon's head, knocking it back a few paces before Pikachu landed on the ground and Jason had a chance to attack.

"Shadow Claw!" He shouted moments before Druddigon swiped at Pikachu, who started to jump over the attacks.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded for the second time, hoping that it would disorientate Druddigon again. However, Ash's plan didn't work as Pikachu paused to charge the attack.

Druddigon struck Pikachu in the ribs, sending him flying across the stadium and into a wall, which left a dent from the impact.

Pikachu slid down and attempted to stand up before firing Thunderbolt at Druddigon, who took the attack and fainted along with Pikachu, who was too damaged to continue.

"Pikachu and Druddigon are unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd cheered.

Ash and Jason returned their Pokémon before they both decided that they wanted the battle to end as quickly as possible.

"Go, Yveltal!" Ash shouted as Jason released Entei.

The crowd grew quiet. No-one had expected the two Legendary Pokémon to battle from full health.

"Psychic!" Ash shouted, to which Yveltal grabbed Entei with its mind, lifting it off the ground.

"Lava Plume!" Jason commanded, watching Entei fire lava towards Yveltal. Yveltal let the lava cover him, knowing that he would drop Entei with any attempt to dodge or counter.

Yveltal continued to squeeze Entei before he had no mental stamina left, deciding to use physical attacks while he regained the mental strength.

"Dragon Rush!" Ash shouted, to which Yveltal flew high into the air before turning to swoop down.

"Sunny Day!" Jason shouted, hoping to set up a way for Entei to regain health after the powerful attack.

Entei focused all of his energy on making the sun brighter before Yveltal crashed into him, making a crater in the ground which Entei sat in, injured.

"Morning Sun!" Jason cried at once, desperate for Entei to heal itself.

Entei seemed to absorb sunlight for a moment, bright rays of light shining on him before he stood up looking substantially healthier.

"Phantom Force!" Ash shouted, to which Yveltal disappeared and reappeared behind Entei, smacking it in the back of the head. "Now use Dark Pulse!"

Yveltal took a moment to power up the attack while Jason screamed at Entei to use Lava Plume.

The two attacks were released and connected, creating a gigantic explosion that sent both Pokémon crashing into walls on either side of the battlefield.

"Yveltal and Entei are unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, though, this time, the crowd stayed silent as Ash and Jason returned their Pokémon. They both only had one Pokémon left.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway,** **leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	59. Chapter 59

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

"Go, Greninja!" Ash shouted, releasing his last Pokémon as Jason released Blastoise.

"Mega Evolve, Blastoise!" Jason shouted, pressing down on his Mega Bracelet, which let out rainbow-light and surrounded Blastoise, who was replaced with Mega Blastoise moment later.

"You know what to do, Greninja!" Ash shouted seconds before water shot up from the place where Greninja stood, hiding his appearance from everyone while making him much more powerful.

"Use Dragon Pulse!" Jason shouted, to which Mega Blastoise leant forwards as he prepared the attack.

Blastoise opened his mouth, forcing the blaze of purple energy towards Greninja, who used Quick Attack at Ash's command, rushing towards Mega Blastoise's attack.

"Use Water Pulse on the Dragon Pulse!" Ash shouted, to which Greninja conjured the water, batting Mega Blastoise's attack back towards it along with the water.

The combined attack struck Mega Blastoise and sent it flying back a little before it stopped itself.

"Skull Bash!"

Mega Blastoise tucked his head into its shell before charging towards Greninja, who burst out of the water-tunnel, revealing his new form.

He looked a little like Ash, even having his hair and cheek marks, but the rest of his body was the same as before minus the gigantic, glazed shuriken on his back.

The crowd screamed upon seeing Greninja, not in fright but shock. They had heard rumours from the people of Geosenge town. They had heard that, while fighting Lysandre, Ash's Greninja took a new form.

"Extrasensory!" Ash commanded, to which Greninja halted Mega Blastoise with an invisible barrier, which closed in around it, squeezing. "Now, use the shuriken!"

Greninja leapt into the air, spinning around as he grabbed the shuriken from his back before he threw it directly towards Mega Blastoise's face while Ash mimicked his movements from the podium.

The shuriken connected with Mega Blastoise and knocked it over and onto its shell.

"Blastoise is unable to battle! Ash Ketchum is this year's Kalos League Victor!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd burst into screams, cheers and applause.

Jason returned his Pokémon before walking over to Ash and giving him a quick handshake.

"Well done," he said, smiling. "You deserve to win. Especially after losing five leagues!"

Ash grinned, returning Greninja while thanking him. "I was certain you were going to win," he said to Jason, who smirked.

"We'll have a five-minute break before Ash Ketchum will be giving a speech and awarded!" The announcer told everyone, prompting Ash and Jason to shake hands once more before leaving the battlefield.

Serena reached Ash first once he walked in, practically jumping onto him with excitement.

"I'm so proud of you!" She squealed, beaming before she kissed him.

Everything was a blur to Ash, only hearing muffled praise as he returned Serena's kiss.

He and Serena broke apart before Ash was awkwardly pushed back towards the end of the tunnel as the waiting room was too small to fit everyone in it at once.

Ash paused at the end and glanced towards the crowd who were still riled up about the battle and his narrow victory. Smirking, he retracted his head and quickly checked the time on his phone.

"It's almost six," Ash said nonchalantly but wasn't heard over the noise of his friends talking.

After a moment of waiting, the announcer started to talk, to which everyone promptly quieted down, wanting to hear every word he said.

"As usual, after every league, we give time for our winner to give a speech," he started. "So, for this year's winner, please give a round of applause to Ash Ketchum!"

On cue, Ash walked out of the tunnel, leaving his friends behind him to watch from the side.

He walked across the battlefield to cheers and applause as he made his way towards a stage that appeared.

As he approached, he asked a worker about how it arrived there, only for him to laugh and point at some Machamp in the front row of the crowd. The crowd cheered louder as Ash walked over to the microphone, which made him feel as if he were about to sing. Everyone seemed so excited, even though it was a mere speech.

The crowd settled and stared at Ash, who processed that he would have to speak. Racking his brains for a decent way to start, he half stammered a "thank you" for no seeable reason but was greeted by applause nonetheless.

"It's surreal that I'm standing here and delivering a speech to all of you. After all, for the past eight years, I've been trying over and over to win a league. Of course, it was my Pokémon who did the heavy lifting, literally and figuratively, throughout my journey from Kanto to here, and I can only thank them sincerely for their hard work and dedication. Ever since I was born, I wanted to be able to say that I led a superb pack of Pokémon to glory. When I left Pallet Town in Kanto to start my journey at the age of ten, I vowed to be the best. To me, catching Pokémon was a test for me and then training them was my cause in life. I've met hundreds of people and Pokémon in the past eight years who I can say have positively influenced me. Of course, there's always a drooping daisy in the bunch, people like Lysandre for instance, but while psychological tendencies make everything negative weigh more than positivity, criminals can't make me forget about all the friends I've made. And those friends supported me until now, despite the occasional, painful quarrels. I truly believe that, without them, I wouldn't have been able to make my dream come true because, in the same way as a Pokémon team, you can't always accomplish your greatest goals on your own. Thank you all for supporting me."

Ash finished his speech to applause and cheering much louder than before. He grinned before he noticed Diantha walking towards him, brandishing a large, gold trophy which she thrust into his hands.

"Congratulations, Ash Ketchum! This year's Kalos League victor!" Diantha announced to the spectators, who somehow grew louder before Diantha turned to Ash and the crowd grew quiet, knowing the question that was about to be asked. "Would you like to challenge me for my champion position?"

No-one moved. Everyone watched Ash and Diantha, the prior staring into the champion's eyes for what seemed like an eternity.

After a moment, Ash smiled and nodded curtly, to which the crowd started to whisper. Ash was tough enough to win the Kalos League, but would be tough enough to become the Kalos champion?

"Very well," Diantha said, smiling back at Ash. "We will have a twenty-minute break while everything is set up. Make sure to heal your team and be prepared to battle."

Ash walked off the battlefield and through the tunnel to the waiting room where his friends buzzed with excitement.

"We'll go to the stands!" Misty exclaimed when she saw him, quickly wishing him luck along with his friends before everyone but Serena left.

"We'll get your Pokémon healed and take that trophy to our hotel room," Serena told him, to which he nodded.

They walked to the Pokémon centre where Ash healed his Pokémon, smiling as Nurse Joy congratulated him and wished him luck.

She handed Ash his Pokémon before one of the balls started shaking violently. Pikachu burst out of it and started shouting at Ash.

"I know, I know! You don't like the ball!" Ash said, laughing as Pikachu huffed, crossed his arms and turned away from him. "But it was worth it, Buddy. We won, and we're challenging Diantha now!"

Pikachu turned around and gave him a thumbs-up before stating that it would only be worth it if he could have a bottle of ketchup.

"Ketchup?" Serena asked as they walked towards the hotel.

"Pikachu loves ketchup for some reason," Ash explained as they entered the hotel and made their way into the lift.

They got out on their floor and walked into their room. Ash haphazardly threw the trophy onto the bed and walked into the bathroom to wash his face and cool down.

"Do you have a strategy?" Serena asked Ash, standing in the doorframe as he leaned over the sink.

"No," Ash said. "I don't know what Pokémon she has, either."

"I'm sure you'll do great," Serena replied, stepping aside as Ash walked out of the bathroom and headed to the door.

"I hope so," Ash replied, following closely behind her from the room and out of the hotel.

* * *

"The last battle of this year's league!" The announcer shouted to the crowd, who screamed as they realised that an exciting battle was close to beginning. "Our winner, Ash Ketchum, and our lovely champion Diantha battling for the role!"

Ash watched from the TV in the blue waiting room, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. He was prepared to fight Diantha for the role of champion, but it felt odd to be minutes away from the battle.

"From the blue side, we have our challenger, Ash Ketchum!" The announcer shouted, urging Ash to walk through the tunnel and into the stadium.

The crowd cheered and screamed when they saw him, but Ash only scanned it for his friends, who he quickly spotted in the front row.

He made his way over to his podium as Pikachu waved to the crowd, making him feel like he did when the league started. In a way, if he won, this would be the first battle of many.

He stood at the podium, focusing on slowing his breathing before the announcer started talking again.

"From the red side, our current champion, Diantha!" He shouted, to which Diantha walked out to equal cheers and screams as Ash did. "Any words before the battle from our two battlers?" The announcer asked once Diantha reached her podium, to which the crowd went quiet.

Ash leant into the microphone on his podium. "I don't expect to win, but I'm not going to go easy on you, Diantha," he said to her, to which the crowd cheered.

"Same to you, Ash," she said, smiling. "Same to you."

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway,** **leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	60. Chapter 60

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

"Go, Talonflame!" Ash shouted, releasing his first Pokémon.

"Aurorus!" Diantha called, gracefully as she sent out her first Pokémon.

"Flamethrower!" Ash exclaimed without hesitation, clearly hoping to deal as much as damage as possible as quickly as possible.

"Light Screen!" Diantha shouted, to which Aurorus obliged and used the Psychic move in the nick of time, sparing her from extensive injury. "Thunder!"

Talonflame swerved out of the way as Aurorus prepared the attack. She didn't want to be struck by a super-effective move like Thunder.

Aurorus unleashed the move, sending large bolts of lightning towards Talonflame, who took the attack head-on.

"Talonflame!" Ash shouted as she fell out of the sky. She hadn't fainted, but it seemed as if she were close. One more attack like Thunder would finish her.

"Blizzard!" Diantha shouted, to which the crowd cheered. It was incredible to them that Ash seemed to be losing already.

Talonflame regained composure and caught herself before hitting the ground. She soared metres above the floor before swooping back into the air, letting Aurorus' Blizzard pass underneath.

"Flamethrower again!" Ash shouted, hoping to finish Aurorus before another attack struck Talonflame.

The attack zoomed through the air and struck Aurorus in the leg, making it topple over, falling to the ground.

"Aurorus is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd cheered. Despite their expectations, so far, Ash was winning.

Diantha returned her Pokémon with a chuckle. She, like the crowd, had expected to win easily. She knew that Ash was an excellent battler, but she didn't think he would be able to defeat one of her Pokémon.

"Gourgeist!" She shouted, releasing her next Pokémon.

"Another Pokémon that's weak to the Fire-type!" The announcer exclaimed upon seeing it.

Ash smirked a little. Diantha would most likely beat Talonflame with Gourgeist, but he still had a chance to deal damage.

"Flamethrower for a third time!" Ash shouted, hoping that the attack would hit. If it did, Gourgeist would likely fall below half-health.

Talonflame shot the flames through the air and, as Ash hoped for, struck Gourgeist directly.

The Grass-Ghost-type Pokémon staggered a little before responding with an attack of its own.

"Seed Bomb!" Diantha shouted, to which Gourgeist fired small, bullet-like pellets which pounded at Talonflame's wings, knocking her off balance and sending her crashing to the floor. "Shadow Sneak!"

Gourgeist disappeared before reappearing behind Talonflame. Without a second to waste, Gourgeist struck Talonflame's right-wing, making her scream in pain before she fainted.

"Talonflame is unable to battle!"

Ash returned Talonflame before immediately releasing his next Pokémon. "Gallade!"

Gallade appeared on the battlefield. He looked at Gourgeist, preparing himself for a moment before Ash gave a command. "Psycho Cut!"

Gallade rushed forwards, brandishing a sharp, Psychic blade before slashing at Gourgeist.

Gourgeist moved back, trying to avoid the attack yet being hit.

"Phantom Force!" Diantha shouted, hoping for Gourgeist to escape for a moment.

Gourgeist vanished and reappeared a little behind Gallade. It struck Gallade in the back of the head, making him fall to his knees, stopping his attack.

"Seed Bomb!" Diantha shouted, to which Gourgeist started firing the small, bullet-like pellets again.

The seeds struck Gallade all over his body, making him fall over from the pain; he fainted eventually.

"Gallade is unable to battle!"

Ash returned Gallade, a little frustrated but happy at the same time. Gallade fainted, placing Diantha in the lead. However, the few attacks that succeeded to hit Gourgeist probably made it close to fainting.

"Trevenant!" Ash shouted, releasing his Pokémon that had the same typing as Gourgeist.

Everyone could see Ash's plan and were a little impressed. Gourgeist wouldn't be able to do much damage to a Pokémon with the same typing. However, Gourgeist had low enough health for Trevenant to finish it.

"Shadow Claw!" Ash shouted, to which Trevenant rushed forwards and slashed Gourgeist with a branch enveloped in a dark mist.

"Gourgeist is unable to battle!"

Diantha returned her Pokémon and released her third. "Goodra!"

Goodra came out of the Pokéball and looked at Trevenant for a moment before Diantha had him use Dragon Pulse.

Goodra powered the attack and fired it at Trevenant, who attempted to jump out of the way and failed.

The attack hit Trevenant's left branch, sending him flying backwards, making him roll on the floor.

"Get up and use Shadow Claw!" Ash shouted, to which Trevenant attempted to oblige but failed to stand.

"Nevermind!" Ash shouted to Trevenant, to which the Pokémon looked over at him. "Phantom Force and then Shadow Claw!"

Trevenant disappeared and reappeared behind Goodra, taking the Pokémon by surprise before Trevenant smacked Goodra once in the head, conjured the Shadow Claw and then proceeded to slice him.

Goodra staggered backwards before Diantha called out for him to use Fire Blast.

Goodra started to prepare the attack, giving Ash a few seconds to command Trevenant to do one more thing before fainting. "Grab onto him!" Ash shouted, to which the crowd looked in confusion at Trevenant stuck a branch out and grabbed Goodra's shoulder with it.

Goodra released Fire Blast, the attack engulfing Trevenant with flames, making some people in the crowd squeal in shock and surprise, thinking that Trevenant must have died from the power.

Trevenant didn't die, however, merely fainting as the branch on Goodra's shoulder carried the flames over to Goodra.

The flames engulfed Goodra as well, making the crowd squeal, again, in shock and surprise. Most people we're surprised that Ash's command had any purpose, the others impressed that he thought of a way to stylishly attack Goodra.

Goodra, like Trevenant, fell to the ground, fainted. He was too powerful for his own good, finishing himself off in the end.

"Goodra and Trevenant are unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd cheered.

Ash and Diantha returned their Pokémon, Diantha giving Ash a quick wink and smile to acknowledge what he had done.

"Go, Pikachu!" Ash shouted, lifting his arm and letting his best friend and first Pokémon jump onto the battlefield.

"Go, Hawlucha!" Diantha shouted, to which the crowd cheered as Hawlucha gracefully burst out of his ball and glided to the floor.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted, pointing at Hawlucha as if every movement he made would deal damage to Hawlucha.

Pikachu's cheeks sparked and, within seconds, a bolt of electricity shot out of them, flying towards the Flying-Fighting-type Pokémon, who merely watched as the attack grew closer.

"Poison Jab!" Diantha shouted, to which Hawlucha rushed forwards, holding an arm out from underneath his wing, his index-finger glowing a mysterious shade of purple.

Pikachu's Thunderbolt struck Hawlucha, making him freeze on the spot, his muscles tensing from the powerful surgre travelling through his positively-charged body.

As soon as the attack finished, Hawlucha already hurt a decent amount, started rushing forward again and stabbing Pikachu in the chest with his purple finger.

Pikachu squealed in pain, staggering backwards from the sudden, burning feeling that engulfed his chest.

"Iron Tail!" Ash shouted as soon as he saw what Hawlucha had done. He wanted to finish Hawlucha before Pikachu would inevitably faint from the poison.

Pikachu jumped into the air, spinning gracefully as his tail turned to metal. He slammed it into Hawlucha's head, making him fall to the ground, his knees making two craters.

"Finish him with Quick Attack!" Ash shouted before Diantha shouted her command, not wanting Hawlucha to faint so easily.

"No!" She shouted, racking her brains for an idea. "X-Scissor!"

Hawlucha and Pikachu rushed towards each other, Hawlucha holding two lime-green swords in his hands which he thrust into Pikachu's back legs once the yellow rodent slammed into him.

Hawlucha fell backwards, Pikachu still attached to the swords, which disappeared within moments, making Pikachu crumple to the ground on top of Hawlucha.

"Hawlucha and Pikachu are unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd cheered.

Ash and Diantha returned their Pokémon, both of them realising that they only had two left. Two more battles and the possibility of losing was potent to both of them.

"Go, Yveltal!" Ash shouted, releasing the Legendary Pokémon, hoping to decimate Diantha's next two Pokémon as quickly as possible.

"Go, Tyrantrum!" Diantha shouted, releasing the Rock-Dragon-type Pokémon. She, like Ash, wanted to finish the battle quickly.

"Dragon Rush!" Ash shouted, watching as Yveltal flew into the air, preparing to swoop down and crash into Tyrantrum.

"Wait for it!" Diantha shouted, watching Yveltal rise higher and higher into the air.

Yveltal finally reached the top of the stadium and turned around quickly, swooping down to the ground with violent speed.

"Dragon Claw!" Diantha shouted before Yveltal slammed into Tyrantrum, still flying as Tyrantrum slashed at Yveltal's back with his claw.

Yveltal swooped up, into the air, letting Tyrantrum slam into the wall, creating a dent in it.

Yveltal flew back over to Ash as Tyrantrum dropped to the ground, clambering onto his feet again.

"Head Smash!" Diantha shouted, to which Tyrantrum started rushing forwards, heading towards Yveltal at an extraordinary speed.

"Psychic!" Ash shouted, to which Yveltal used his mental energy to pick Tyrantrum up from the ground, stopping him dead in his tracks.

Yveltal started to bounce him around in the air before throwing him across the stadium and into the floor.

"Tyrantrum is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd cheered louder than they had since the start of the battle. Ash had two Pokémon left, two incredibly powerful Pokémon, while Diantha only had one.

Diantha returned Tyrantrum before releasing Gardevoir, who she promptly Mega Evolved, grasping the Key Stone on her necklace.

As soon as the bright, white light disappeared and Mega Gardevoir was stood there, Diantha gave her first command.

"Moonblast!" She shouted, to which Gardevoir took a moment to power the attack before firing a powerful, pink ball that flew towards Yveltal and smacked him in the chest.

Yveltal spun to the ground, clearly having fainted. The powerful, Fairy-type move had defeated the Dark-type.

"Yveltal is unable to battle!" The announcer shouted, to which the crowd grew quiet.

Ash returned his Pokémon and released Greninja. He and Diantha along with everyone else watching knew that the outcome of the two Pokémon battling would decide the Kalos Champion.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway,** **leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	61. Chapter 61

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

"Go on, Greninja!" Ash shouted moments before water erupted around Greninja.

The crowd burst into cheers at the new opportunity to watch the phenomenal, mysterious Pokémon battle.

"Water Pulse!" Ash shouted, to which Greninja burst out of the water, grabbing it and throwing it towards Mega Gardevoir.

"Use Thunderbolt!" Diantha shouted, hoping to divide the water with the attack.

The electricity passed through the air and connected with the attack. Instead of passing through, however, it was seemingly absorbed.

"The molecules in water conduct electricity, Diantha!" Ash called to her from across the stadium before the electric-water smothered Mega Gardevoir.

As soon as the attack finished, everyone could see that Mega Gardevoir was close to fainting. She had sunk into the floor so much that her dress-like feature brushed the dirt. Her eyes were only half-opened, and she had bruises everywhere. Despite what her appearance said, however, she clambered up and stood tall, not ready to give up.

"Moonblast!" Diantha shouted, to which Mega Gardevoir, without any hesitation, conjured the attack and launched it at Greninja.

The attack connected mere moments after it took flight, knocking Greninja back.

"Shadow Ball! Thunderbolt!" Diantha screamed, watching Mega Gardevoir send the two attacks to Greninja.

Shadow Ball hit Greninja in the stomach, sending him crashing into a wall before Thunderbolt struck him in the feet, paralysing him as he fell to the ground.

He stood up, as battered as Mega Gardevoir with the same intent to win. He had to be careful as to avoid fainting, but both he and Mega Gardevoir were close to fainting. The battle would be over soon.

"Extrasensory!" Ash shouted, to which Greninja obliged and started to use psychic capabilities to restrict Mega Gardevoir's breathing.

"Shadow Ball!" Diantha shouted, to which Mega Gardevoir, with difficulty, obliged, conjuring the attack before firing it at Greninja.

"Water Pulse!" Ash shouted at once, knowing that the impact of Shadow Ball would make Greninja faint.

Greninja stopped using Extrasensory and threw water towards Shadow Ball at incredible speed, making the two attacks collide and cause an explosion that shook the stadium.

Both Mega Gardevoir and Greninja were thrown back, both of them landing on their feet.

The dust and smoke cleared, giving the crowd a view of the two Pokémon.

No-one moved. Everyone watched Greninja and Mega Gardevoir before they both fell to the ground.

The crowd sat, stunned. What would happen now?

"M-Mega Gardevoir and Greninja are u-unable to battle," the announcer stuttered, unable to believe his eyes. "This means that, technically, Diantha wins."

"No," Diantha said into the microphone on her podium. "I believe that Ash is strong enough to take the role of champion."

Everyone looked at her, stunned by what she said. Was she giving Ash the role of Kalos Champion even though he technically lost?

"Well, in that case, Ash Ketchum is the winner and is the new Kalos champion!" The announcer exclaimed, seeming to have found his voice again.

The crowd burst into cheers and applause before a chant of Ash's name seemed to echo around the region.

People watching from other regions such as Hoenn and Kanto chanted, too, unable to resist the temptation. It seemed as if the whole world were cheering for Ash.

A smile was plastered onto Ash's face for a few moments before he realised something. He didn't win. While, upon Diantha's decision, he would be the new Kalos Champion, it didn't feel as if he had earned it.

As if she read his mind, Diantha returned Gardevoir, headed over to Ash and whispered to him, making sure that they were away from microphones. "You have earned this, Ash," she whispered, smiling. "Don't feel as if you didn't."

Ash returned Greninja before they walked to the centre of the stadium, Diantha lifting Ash's hand into the air after stopping.

"Say hello to the new ruler of Kalos!" She announced, to which everyone cheered louder.

Ash stood with Diantha for a few more moments before a worker ran over and handed Ash a microphone, telling him to give a few words.

"Thank you all for your support!" Ash shouted straight away. "I promise that I won't let you down! I'll do my best to be as good as Diantha has been!"

He handed the microphone back to the worker before making his way off the battlefield with Diantha, who led the way through the blue tunnel.

"Well done!" Echoed around the waiting room as Ash and Diantha entered. Everyone had made their way from the stands to the waiting room again to greet him, something that made Ash smile from ear to ear.

Ash was tackled into a group hug, Serena at the front, breaking his ribs. They pulled away once Diantha informed them that Ash had to leave quickly or he would be tormented by the paparazzi.

They left the waiting room and headed into the Pokémon centre for Ash and Diantha to heal their entire teams.

"Well done on your victory!" Nurse Joy exclaimed to Ash as soon as he and the others walked in.

"Thanks," Ash said, chuckling a little as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Could you-"

"Of course!" Nurse Joy cut across, taking Ash's Pokéballs along with Diantha's before slotting them into the healing machine.

After a few moments, the machine dinged to say that the Pokémon had been revived, prompting Nurse Joy to take the balls out and hand them back to their respective trainers. Pikachu burst out of his Pokéball and, without any complaints, jumped onto Ash's shoulder.

"Thanks!" Ash and Diantha called to Nurse Joy before leaving. They all rushed out of the Pokémon centre and over to the hotel as quickly as possible, deciding that they would eat in the hotel restaurant as they were all hungry.

"I should head back before I get stormed by them, too," Diantha said, laughing a little. "Ash," she said, catching his attention. "I'll be in contact in two days so I can teach you about being a champion. Okay?"

Ash nodded, a sense of drowsiness suddenly enveloping him. It seemed that he had only stayed awake for the entire day because of adrenaline.

Diantha left as Ash, Serena, Max, Cilan, Iris, Misty, Brock, Dawn and Grace made their way into the restaurant as quietly as possible as to not draw the attention of the people in there.

They sat down and ordered immediately as a waitress recognised Ash and deemed him and his friends to be on the same level as royalty.

* * *

It was a quick meal. The food was delicious but felt like a blur for everyone. After paying, everyone but Serena told Ash that they were going to their rooms to turn in for the night.

"Already?" Ash asked, pulling his phone out of his pocket to check the time. He saw that it was eight o'clock and decided that he and Serena should go to bed as well.

Ash and Serena bid farewell to the others and were about to head into the next lift as there wasn't any room in the previous one before Serena had an idea.

"Wait a moment!" She exclaimed, startling Ash and a few people stood nearby. "I'll be back in a moment. Stay right there!"

Ash and Pikachu stood next to the lift, perplexed at Serena's actions as she rushed out of the hotel and into a shop.

A few minutes passed before Serena returned, rushing into the hotel again, carrying two plastic bags with mysterious contents.

"Don't look!" Serena exclaimed, yanking the bags away as Ash tried to peek.

They clambered into the lift and pushed the button for their floor. They started to ascend in silence, Ash trying multiple times to look at the contents of the bags only for Serena to notice and scold him.

The lift stopped, the doors opened, and Ash and Serena left, walking to their room at a sped-up pace as Ash was excited to see what Serena had bought.

They unlocked the door and walked inside before Serena pushed Ash onto the bed, pulled her shoes off and pulled two bottles out of one of the bags.

"Wine?" Ash asked upon seeing the bottles. "Why do you have two bottles of wine?"

"I have three, actually," Serena said, giggling. "And three bottles of champagne."

"Why?" Ash asked, confused. "Why did you buy that shops' entire stock of alcohol?" He asked, to which Serena giggled.

"We need to celebrate that you've become the Kalos Champion, Dummy!" She said, opening a bottle of wine and pulling two plastic cups off of the desk.

"You realise that those cups are meant for water, right?" Ash asked her, jokingly, only for her to giggle again and thrust a cup into his hand.

Without hesitation, Ash knocked his head back and downed the cup in one, making Serena choke a little as she sipped hers.

"That was quick!" She exclaimed as Ash stood up and refilled his cup.

"I'm used to alcohol," he said. "Remember when we went to that party at Parfum Palace?" Ash asked her, to which she nodded. "I had vodka."

Serena giggled as she remembered the night. "Some guy tried to fight you, didn't he?" She said, reminiscing a little. "All because you told him not to shout."

* * *

They talked and joked for another hour, Pikachu deciding to sleep not long after they started. When Ash said that he was going for a shower, they had almost finished the six bottles of alcohol between them. Half a bottle of wine remained, sat on the desk.

Ash grabbed a change of clothes and walked into the bathroom, stumbling a little as he felt the effects of the alcohol.

"Why did I drink so much?" Ash mumbled to himself as he threw his clothes onto the toilet seat, quickly undressing and climbing into the shower.

He turned the water on and within moments started to remember the day's events. He had beaten Jason and Diantha! He was the new Kalos Champion!

"I'll have to tell mum," Ash mumbled, forgetting the fact that the league was broadcasted to the world and that his mother had most likely seen it.

He grabbed a bottle of shampoo and went to open it before he dropped the bottle and slumped to the ground with a loud thud.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway,** **leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	62. Chapter 62

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash sat on the bed and smiled as he finished reminiscing about the day before. He was confused as to why he couldn't remember much after getting in the shower before Serena walked through the door, entering the hotel room with Pikachu on her shoulder.

"You're up, I see," she said, dropping hers and Ash's Pokéballs onto the desk while Pikachu leapt off her shoulder and onto the floor.

"Well spotted," Ash said jokingly. Remembering the previous day had quelled his headache a little as he was distracted, but being aware of the present seemed to make the pain return.

"I went to the Pokémon centre to feed the Pokémon," she told him as she sat next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"As if Rhydon ran into me," Ash said, chuckling a little. "What about you? Hungover, too?"

"A little," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder. "But getting up helped so you're not staying here all day."

"I wasn't planning on it," Ash said, smiling at how much Serena cared about him.

He leaned back, lying across the bed, forcing Serena to lean back with him.

Serena, catching onto Ash's intentions, playfully nudged him in the ribs. "I know you're trying to trick me into staying here with you," she said with a smile. "It won't work!"

"Five minutes," Ash said, making Serena giggle more. "Anyway, what happened last night?"

"Hm?" Serena said, looking up at him, having to strain her neck to do so. "When you collapsed?"

"I collapsed?" Ash asked, a little shocked and concerned about his well-being.

"Yeah, when you were in the shower," Serena said, looking a little serious. "I heard it and had to go in, pull you out, dry you off and put you in bed."

Ash blushed when he realised what that meant. Serena had seen him naked and felt him naked, too. How would she dry him otherwise?

A little embarrassed, Ash let out a nervous laugh while desperately trying to think of something to say.

Serena noticed him struggling and smiled, turning to rest her head on his chest. "It's okay," she said. "I didn't feel you too much."

"Too much?!" Ash exclaimed, making Serena giggle.

"I had to dry you, Idiot!" She said, getting a little embarrassed as well. "It's not like I enjoyed it."

Ash smiled. He knew that Serena was as embarrassed as him, so he felt a little more at ease. If she hadn't been embarrassed, it would have worried him.

"Come on," Serena said, begrudgingly getting off him and pulling him to his feet.

Ash staggered a little as blood rushed to his head and made his headache worse.

Serena led Ash out of the room, Pikachu following before leaping onto Ash's shoulder.

"Breakfast will help," she said as they walked down the stairs, not wanting to wait for the lift.

"As long as there isn't too much salt in it," Ash mumbled, but Serena didn't hear him. She led him from the stairs and into the hotel restaurant.

"It's a buffet," she told him, leading him over to the food, handing him a mildly-warm plate.

They piled their plates with food and ate as quick as they could. Both of them seemed to believe that quenching their hunger would help with their headaches.

"Do we have to do anything today?" Ash asked Serena as they walked out of the restaurant.

Serena rolled her eyes and giggled a little. "Of course!" She exclaimed. "We need to leave!"

"Oh, yeah," Ash muttered, feeling idiotic. Though, if Serena were to say anything, he'd merely blame his headache for his blunder.

They walked to their hotel room and started to pack everything once they arrived.

"We'll leave everything here, for now," Serena told Ash, who nodded. "We should say goodbye to the others before we leave."

"Unless they've already left," Ash said, to which Serena nudged him.

"They wouldn't leave without talking to you first," she said.

Ash zipped his bag up as Serena placed a folded shirt into hers. They grabbed their Pokémon as Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder.

"Come on, then," Ash said to Serena, grabbing her arm and leading her out of the room as she had done to him fifteen minutes earlier.

They walked down the stairs again as Ash texted Dawn to tell her to meet him and Serena in the lobby.

They walked into the lobby, throwing themselves onto a couch to wait for their friends.

* * *

Five minutes later, everyone walked out of the lift with their bags. Grace ran over to them, giving them a quick hug before the others arrived.

"So," Brock started, rubbing his hands together. "What's the plan?"

"I'm going home to Kanto," he said. "I want to see mum for a bit and sort out a final team with Professor Oak."

"Will you be going with him, Serena?" Grace asked, to which Serena shook her head, surprising everyone.

"No," she said. "I want to collect the Keys."

Grace looked surprised along with Brock, who nodded at her and wished her luck.

"Keys?" Ash asked with Dawn, Misty and Max, confused.

"The Princess Keys," Brock said, scratching his arm. "They're awarded to a trainer who wins a Pokémon showcase."

"Yeah," Serena said, nodding. "After you get three, you can compete in a Master Showcase for the title of Kalos Queen."

Ash looked at Serena for a moment, intrigued. The term "showcase" made it sound as if trainers were supposed to showcase their Pokémon, displaying the moves it could perform along with strength.

"Are showcases similar to contests?" Max asked, to which Serena shrugged.

"They're slightly similar," Grace said. "Though, in a showcase, the Pokémon is supposed to awe the audience with a beautiful movement."

"For the first three keys, you must participate in rookie showcases which consist of a Theme Performance and a Freestyle Performance," Brock explained. "The Theme Performance changes with the showcase, but there are usually multiple rounds. The winner of the Theme Performance moves onto the Freestyle Performance, which is like a beauty pageant; trainer and the Pokémon."

"I see," Ash said, slightly interested. "Should I stay with you, then?" He asked Serena, who shook her head.

"Don't worry about it," she said, giggling at how kind he was. "It won't take long."

Ash nodded, understanding but not able to think of anything else to say.

"We should go," Dawn said, indicating that she, Misty, Brock, Max, Iris and Cilan should leave. "Our plane's leaving in five hours."

"I see," Ash said, smiling.

He and Serena spent a few moments saying goodbye to their friends, hugging and shaking hands before they, along with Grace, were left alone.

They watched the group leave the area and hop onto flying Pokémon, taking them in the direction of Lumiose city.

"When's your flight?" Serena asked Ash, who shrugged.

"I haven't booked one," he said. "I need to stay here until tomorrow, anyway. Diantha needs to get in contact."

Serena nodded before telling Grace that they were going to get their bags.

They went into the lift and made their way to their floor. They walked into their room, grabbed their bags and promptly left, knowing they hadn't forgotten anything.

After another trip down the stairs, they reached the lobby, gave the keycard to the receptionist and left the hotel with Grace.

"I'll head back to Vaniville," Grace told Ash and Serena. "Are you two coming back to Vaniville with me?"

"We will later," Serena said, to which Ash nodded. "We should go and see Clemont and Bonnie," she said, addressing Ash more than Grace.

Ash agreed, grabbing Talonflame's Pokéball, ready to release her so they could travel to Lumiose.

"I'll see you two later, then," Grace said, giving them a little wave before heading towards a train station.

"She's scared of heights," Serena said, giggling a little before they walked out of the arena.

Ash released Talonflame and climbed onto her back, Serena doing the same behind him before he told Talonflame to take them to Lumiose.

Talonflame kicked off the ground and started to fly north-east towards Lumiose city, Ash and Serena holding on tight.

* * *

Talonflame landed on the balcony on Prism Tower that led to Clemont and Bonnie's apartment.

Ash and Serena clambered off the bird and thanked it before Ash returned her.

They walked over to the door and tried the handle. Surprisingly, it was unlocked.

Ash crept in first, Serena on his tail. They were in the living room and could see the door leading to Bonnie's room was ajar.

"I feel like we're criminals," Serena mumbled to Ash, who nodded.

"I know," he replied. "But it will be hilarious to scare them."

"It will only be funny if Clemont doesn't let an invention explode and singe us," Serena said with a smile.

Serena poked her head around Bonnie's doorframe, only for Bonnie to see Serena immediately.

Bonnie let out a gasp but a smile crept across her face before she rushed over to Serena, grabbed her around the waist and buried her face into her stomach.

"We're going to scare Clemont," Ash whispered to Bonnie, who's face lit up at the chance to humiliate her older brother.

"He's in the kitchen," she whispered back, pointing to a closed-door at the end of the hallway.

Ash nodded before he led Serena and Bonnie down the hallway, pausing at the doorframe before they burst in.

"Clemont!" The three of them shouted in unison, to which Clemont, who was washing the dishes, dropped the plate and sponge into the water, letting out a loud shriek as he did so.

He spun around, his face full of terror before he noticed that it was Ash, Serena and Bonnie.

Clemont started to laugh along with the three pranksters. He walked over, clapped Ash on the back, gave Serena a quick hug and pocked Bonnie in the head.

"I had a feeling that you two would come here after the league," he said, to which Ash and Serena laughed. "Congratulations, by the way, Ash."

"Thanks," Ash said before the four of them left the kitchen, heading to the lounge to talk.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway,** **leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	63. Chapter 63

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

After their sudden reunion, Ash, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie talked for a while. After an hour of recollection and catching up, Serena's phone rang.

"Hello?" She asked as she answered, having picked up so quickly that she didn't see the contact.

"Hello, Serena," came a voice from the other end. "When will you be home?"

"It's mum," Serena said as she pulled the phone away from her ear and covered the microphone, quickly replacing it to reply. "When do you want us home?"

"In half an hour?" Grace suggested, to which Serena nodded even though Grace couldn't see her.

"Okay," she said. "Bye!"

Serena hung up and grabbed Ash's hand, pulling him out of the chair. "We need to go," she said, to which Clemont and Bonnie got up as well.

"Okay," Clemont said. "Have fun collecting the Princess Keys, Serena."

"Thanks," Serena said with a smile. "Bye, Bonnie!"

Bonnie ran over and gave Serena a quick hug. "Bye!" She said, enthusiastic but reluctant to let Serena leave.

Ash and Serena walked onto the balcony before Ash released Talonflame. "Take us to Vaniville," Ash told her, to which she nodded.

Ash and Serena climbed onto Talonflame's back before she took off, soaring into the air at high speed.

* * *

"Down there, Talonflame!" Ash shouted over the rushing wind. "That's Vaniville, Serena!"

"I know!" Serena called back with a giggle. "I know what my village looks like!"

Talonflame started to descend, making Ash and Serena hold onto their hats to stop them from flying away.

They landed outside of Serena's house, impressing both Ash and Serena with Talonflame's accuracy.

Ash and Serena climbed off Talonflame, Ash returning her to her Pokéball before Grace came out of the house to greet them.

"Come in, you two," she said, letting them pass and enter the house before following, closing the door.

"It's just as I remember," Ash said, looking around.

"You were here a few months ago, Ash," Serena reminded him, giggling.

Ash shrugged, muttering something about it feeling like ages ago with how much they had accomplished.

"Are you hungry?" Grace asked them, to which Ash and Serena nodded.

Grace walked into the kitchen while Ash and Serena sat down, returning a minute later with three plates of sandwiches.

"That was quick," Ash said, perplexed as he took a plate and thanked Grace.

"I had some ready-made," Grace replied, giving Serena a plate before sitting across from them. "What happens now?" She asked, tucking in.

"I'm waiting for Diantha to call me tomorrow," Ash told her, also starting to eat. "Then I'll go back to Kanto for a little bit."

"I'm waiting for Ash to leave so I can start performing," Serena said, playfully nudging Ash in the arm.

"I'll leave as soon as possible, don't worry," Ash said, smiling.

"So, I presume that you two will stay here tonight and leave in the morning?" Grace asked, a little disappointed.

"Probably," Ash and Serena said in unison, neither of them picking up on the fact that Grace wanted them to stay for longer.

They finished eating while conducting small-talk, not sure as to what to do next.

"Let's watch something," Serena said, putting the plates to one side before grabbing the TV remote.

Serena flicked through a few channels, Ash's face flying by once in a while as people were talking about the new champion and his controversial victory.

Eventually, she landed on a horror film that had started a few minutes before.

"Oh! Let's watch this! I love horror!" Grace exclaimed, sitting forwards, staring intently at the screen.

"Same," Ash said, mimicking Grace's actions.

Serena's grip on the remote tightened a little before she put it on the arm of the couch. She wasn't a fan of horror, but she'd watch if the others wanted to.

She pulled her legs onto the couch, almost curled into a ball as she leaned against Ash.

They watched the film in near silence, Serena screaming at the scariest parts while Ash and Grace only jumped.

As soon as the film finished, Serena buried her head into the crook of Ash's neck, breathing heavily. The end of the film was the scariest part, and she needed time to recover.

"That was fun," Ash said, stroking Serena's hair in an attempt to soothe her.

"That's easy for you to say!" Came Serena's muffled voice, making Ash and Grace laugh a little.

"You're only scared of them because you never watch them," Grace told Serena, walking into the kitchen to make some coffee. "How do you like your coffee, Ash?" She called back.

"Splash of milk and one teaspoon of sugar, please," Ash called back, adjusting his position so Serena would be more comfortable.

Serena's breathing eased a little as she wrapped her arms around Ash's neck, using him to support herself.

"Are you okay now?" Ash whispered, to which Serena nodded lightly.

She pulled away from him and laughed a little at how childish she was. It was only a film, after all.

Grace returned with three cups of coffee, handing one to Ash and one to Serena before she sat down again.

They sipped in silence, Grace trying not to laugh at Serena's inability to remain composed while watching anything scary.

"Hey!" Serena exclaimed, noticing Grace struggling to keep it together.

Ash and Grace burst out laughing while Serena pouted and looked annoyed.

"It's funny, Serena," Ash told her, starting to compose himself. "You need to toughen up."

"What if I don't want to?" She replied, finishing her coffee and leaving the room in a huff.

* * *

A few hours later, Grace was cooking pizzas while Ash and Serena were laying on Serena's bed, cuddling.

"I almost don't want mum to finish the pizzas," Serena mumbled, smiling as she nuzzled her head against Ash's chest.

"I do," Ash said, chuckling. "I'm hungry!"

Serena giggled, using her hand to massage the front of his shoulder in hopes to find a more comfortable position.

They laid in silence for a few moments, enjoying each other's company before they heard Grace calling to them from the kitchen.

"Come on, you two!" She shouted, making Serena groan.

"Okay!" She called back before sighing, planting a kiss on Ash's cheek and clambering off him.

Ash sat up, playfully pushed Serena off the bed, stood up and followed her out of the room as she whined about having to move.

They made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen, taking big whiffs of the delicious-smelling Italian cuisine.

The three of them sat down and tucked in, not talking much as they wanted to enjoy the food more than a conversation.

After they finished, Ash checked the time and saw that it was almost seven. He showed Serena before she announced that she was going to have a shower and go to bed early.

"I'll do that, too," Ash said, to which Serena gave him a weird look.

"You're not showering with me," she said, making Ash and Grace laugh.

"That's not what I meant," Ash said, making her giggle as she stood up and ran up the stairs.

"I don't know what I'll do with her," Grace said with a laugh, shaking her head as she put the large platter that held the pizzas into the dishwasher.

They walked into the lounge and flopped onto the couches, Grace turning the TV on to pass the time and avoid an awkward conversation as she and Ash hadn't been alone together before.

Ash looked around the room to avoid catching Grace's attention, taking note of the fact that it was miraculously clean.

"Do you live alone?" Ash asked out of the blue, slightly shocked that he said anything.

"I do," Grace said, nodding. "Serena's father left when I fell pregnant with her."

"That's unfortunate," Ash said, sighing. He looked around the room again, scanning for pictures and saw that there was one of Grace and another man. "Who's that?" Ash asked, pointing at the man.

"That's not important," Grace said after glancing at the picture, a red-tint appearing on her face.

"Not important?" Ash asked. "You're dating him, aren't you?"

Grace stayed silent, staring avidly at the TV as she tried to avoid answering the question.

"Aren't you?" Ash repeated, catching Grace's attention again. Timidly, she nodded, to which Ash laughed. "Why are you so embarrassed?"

"I don't like discussing relationships," she said with a blush, looking over to the picture with a smile. "I've been seeing him for a few months. He works at my business, and I came to know him from meetings," she explained.

"Does Serena know?" Ash asked, to which Grace shook her head.

"No," she said. "I don't think I'll tell her yet."

"Don't leave it for too long," Ash said sternly. "If you keep a secret for too long, she'll feel hurt that you kept it from her," Ash explained, to which Grace nodded.

"I know," she said with a tone that told Ash they had finished the conversation.

They turned to focus on the TV before Serena came running down the stairs in a dressing gown and flung herself onto Ash, scaring him.

"The bathroom's free," Serena told him with a giggle as she kissed him on the cheek.

"I figured that out on my own, funnily enough," Ash said, smirking as he slid out from under Serena and walked up the stairs.

"Don't collapse this time!" Serena called to him, to which Ash fake-laughed back to her, making her laugh.

"He collapsed in the shower?" Grace asked, to which Serena nodded.

"Last night," she said. "We had been drinking to celebrate his victory, and he passed out," she explained, to which nodded, understanding.

* * *

Ash came out of the bathroom a few minutes later in his underwear and a shirt, shouted for Serena to go to bed with him and bid Grace a good night.

Serena came up the stairs a few moments later after kissing her mother goodnight and went into her room with Ash.

They closed the curtains, switched the light off and climbed into bed, ready to enjoy each other's warmth for the last time for a while.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway,** **leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	64. Chapter 64

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash stirred. He opened his eyes and was greeted by Serena's wall, plastered with posters and pictures, a small amount of the red wallpaper visible through the gaps.

He yawned and was about to stretch before he realised that his arms were pinned, folded to his chest.

After looking down, he could see that Serena had her arms wrapped around him, her head resting on the back of his shoulder as she spooned him.

"Serena," Ash whispered to her, feeling her head move a little as she started to stir.

"What?" She whispered back, her breath warming Ash's ear as she spoke.

"Did we fall asleep like this?" Ash asked, to which Serena shook her head, reluctant to speak in case it woke her up any more than she had.

They laid in silence for a few moments before Serena tightened her grip as she slipped out of consciousness again, squeezing Ash's stomach slightly.

As Ash lay next to Serena, he started to think about how he wouldn't have the luxury of her warmth after a few hours had passed. He was only staying in Kalos so that he could answer Diantha's phone call and possible meet with her. After that, there wouldn't be any other reason to stay. He wanted to return to Kanto to figure out his team, see his mother, Professor Oak, his Pokémon and to let Serena collect the Princess Keys without feeling as if she needed to get them quickly.

He thought about the journey they had, the tough times with Team Flare, the funny moments from the night out, the joyous moments from league and the people they had met like Korrina and Diantha.

While he was thinking about their journey, Ash failed to notice Grace knocking on the door before entering to see what they'd like for breakfast.

Before talking, she halted upon seeing that Serena was asleep and looked at Ash as if she were asking whether or not she should wake her up.

Ash nodded in return to the uncertain look and started to shake Serena a little, making her stir and wake within a few seconds.

"What?" Serena asked as she woke up for the second time. She looked Ash in the eyes and gave him a quick peck on the lips before Ash gestured to the door. Serena turned around and smiled at the sight of her mother.

"What would you two like for breakfast?" Grace asked them, to which they answered and she left.

Ash closed his eyes again as he turned back towards Serena's wall, but instead of feeling Serena's grip on his stomach tighten, he felt it loosen.

"We need to get up," Serena said, giving him a kiss that Ash's returned, turning over to face her and hold her arm, preventing her from getting up.

"I don't want you to get up yet," Ash said, starting to get tired again.

"We should get up," Serena repeated to Ash, giving him another kiss before fighting her way out from under the covers.

Ash followed suit, getting out of bed before he and Serena threw their clothes on and left the room, heading downstairs to see Grace.

Grace put three plates of toast on the table before the three of them sat down and started to eat.

"What time are you expecting Diantha to call you, Ash?" Grace asked him, to which Ash shrugged.

"She didn't say," he replied. "I'm guessing that it will be before lunch. I have a feeling that she'll want to meet me somewhere."

Serena gave her mother a slightly sad look before sighing and taking another bite of toast.

"Are you leaving after Ash does?" Grace asked Serena, who nodded.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Ash and Serena had made sure that they had everything and were waiting for Diantha to phone Ash.

"What's the plan?" Serena asked Ash, who shrugged.

"As soon as I'm finished talking with Diantha, I'll head to the airport in Lumiose," he replied, to which Serena nodded.

"I'm coming with you," Serena told him, to which he nodded, smiling before his phone started to ring.

Ash pulled his phone out of his pocket, answered and held it to his ear. "Yes?" He said when he answered, only to be met with Diantha's voice.

"Ash?" She asked, to which Ash confirmed that it was him. "Brilliant. Have you got a pen?"

"No," Ash said, confused. "Why?" He asked, looking around the room to see if there was a nearby pen that he could use.

"This is going to take a while so you might need to take notes."

* * *

An hour later, Diantha left after giving Ash all of the information that he would need once he was officially the champion. As he had to leave the region for a few days to sort his team, Diantha would remain Champion until he returned.

"We have to go," Ash told Serena, who nodded before grabbing her bag and hugging her mother.

"I'll see you two soon, hopefully," Grace said to Ash and Serena, leaving Serena after a few moments to hug Ash.

"It won't be too long before you see us again," Ash said, to which Serena agreed.

"After our journey, I don't want to stay away from home for too long," Serena said to her mother, who laughed, understanding how she felt.

Ash and Serena left the house, bidding goodbye to Grace for a second time before Ash released Talonflame and climbed on.

Serena clambered onto the bird after Ash before they told her to fly to Lumiose City, precisely to the airport.

Talonflame took flight, soaring into the air at an impressive speed, heading towards Lumiose City.

* * *

Talonflame landed outside of Lumiose City's airport, letting Ash and Serena climb off her back before Ash returned her.

"Let's go," Ash said to Serena, grabbing her hand before leading her into the airport.

They walked over to a ticket machine where Ash bought a ticket to Kanto and saw that the next flight was in a few hours.

"I have to wait until three," Ash told Serena as he looked at his ticket, to which he felt her hand tighten around his.

He looked over at her only to see that she was smiling. He questioned it mentally but wasn't going to say anything before Serena answered.

"I'm happy that I can spend some more time with you," she said, looking into his eyes before giving him a quick kiss and leading him to a café. "I'm hungry," she said, making Ash laugh a little before he realised that he was also hungry.

They walked in, sat down and ordered their food, having to wait for a few minutes before their sandwiches were brought to them. They ate in silence, Serena still holding onto Ash's hand with no intent to let go.

After eating, they made their way through airport security and sat down to wait for the flight on the other side.

Ash pulled his phone out to check the time and saw that he and Serena had ten minutes left before they would have to separate for a few days.

"I don't want you to go," came Serena's timid voice from next to Ash. He looked over and saw that she was close to tears.

Shocked, Ash put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him before planting a kiss on her head.

"I have to go," Ash told her, being careful with his words as to not upset her further.

"I would come with you," Serena said, pausing to wipe her eyes, "But I want to perform for a while. I don't know if I'll get a chance for ages once you're back."

"How come?" Ash asked, confused. He didn't know what she meant. Once he came back, he could go with her and watch her performances.

"Well," Serena said, trying to think of enough reasons as to not sound stupid. "I want to get a house when you're back," she said. "And if we start looking for a house, I'm not going to have a chance to perform."

"That won't take too long, though," Ash said, surprised at her reason. Out of all of the possibilities in the world, he didn't expect her to want a house.

"But," Serena said, her tears started to disappear. "What if I'm a horrible performer?"

"I can't say that you'll be brilliant and I can't say that you'll be terrible," Ash said, choosing his words carefully again. "But I'm sure you'll be acceptable for your first time."

Serena didn't reply, making Ash think that he said something that hurt her before she squeezed his hand and nuzzled the crook of his neck.

They were engulfed in silence for a few moments before an announcement sounded to say that anyone who was travelling to Kanto ought to board their plane.

"I have to go," Ash said, pulling away from Serena to kiss her. He stood up, Serena standing with him before she hugged him tighter than she ever had.

"Call me every day," Serena said, her voice muffled by Ash's shoulder.

"I will," Ash replied, starting to get sad at the fact that he would have to go in a moment. "I promise."

They stayed there for a few seconds before Serena pulled away, gave Ash one more kiss and left.

Ash turned around, Pikachu trying to cheer him up from beside him as they made their way to the plane.

They boarded, Ash heading to his seat and collapsing into it. He pulled his phone out and texted Serena to say that he loved her before turning it to aeroplane mode.

He sat next to the window, gazing out of it towards the grass that surrounded the runway on the outskirts of Lumiose city. He had flown in a couple of months earlier, excited to see his girlfriend. Now, he was leaving and was excited to return.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter! Anyway,** **leave a review with anything you want in it, as I will approve. Yes, even 'hate.' It's merely constructive criticism, so I'll be happy to hear about what I need to improve. BYE!**


	65. Chapter 65

**Hey, guys! I'm back again with another chapter! Anyway, let's get straight into continuing the story!**

* * *

Ash stirred. He rubbed his eyes and opened them, instinctively looking at the space next to him. A tinge of sadness and guilt hit him as he did so.

He jumped out of bed and walked into the bathroom where he found Serena crouched next to the toilet, leaning over it.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he leaned next to her, placing a hand on her back to rub it.

Serena nodded weakly, trying to muster a smile but unable to do so.

Two years had passed since Ash became the new Kalos Champion. He had returned to Kanto and done as he said before returning to find that Serena hadn't managed to win the Master Showcase. She had been saddened by her loss but was overjoyed when she saw Ash enough that she forgot she had lost.

The two of them proceeded to stay with Grace for a few more days while Ash filled out documents that he was legally required to fill out before becoming Champion. He made a speech to the nation, becoming acknowledged as the Kalos Champion and was given money for a house as he needed to live in Kalos.

Serena had decided that she didn't want an oversized house when Ash told her, and so they settled with a four-bedroom, two-storey house in an estate in Vaniville. The house was decent, four bathrooms, two of them being en-suite, a large kitchen and lounge with a dining room, study and a converted attic that could serve as an extra bedroom if needed.

Not long after moving in, Ash and Serena ran out of things to do. They went on dates over the year and, at the end of a romantic one which included a river cruise around Lumiose city, Ash proposed to her.

Serena was overjoyed by the proposal, frantically screaming "yes" multiple times while jumping up and down, but overdid the celebration. They arrived home and, after a while of mediocre intimacy, mutually and silently decided to make love.

The next morning, Serena had woken up and started her day but was interrupted halfway through when she spontaneously vomited on the kitchen floor while getting a glass of water. After a few days of morning sickness, Serena decided to take a pregnancy test and found that she was, indeed, pregnant.

Now nearing seventeen weeks pregnant, Serena knew that she was close to the end of her morning sickness but was also heading for worse morning sickness until the twentieth week.

Serena stood up, the feeling starting to leave as she closed the toilet and flushed it before turning around to hug Ash.

"How are you feeling?" Ash asked her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"A bit better," Serena mumbled before letting go of him and leading him out of the bathroom. "There's no point in going back to bed, is there?"

"We can if you like," Ash responded, making Serena think for a few seconds.

"Okay," she said, sliding back in and pulling the covers over her.

Ash got in from the other side and let Serena grab onto him, pulling him closer to her as she wanted to cuddle.

They laid on the bed for a few minutes before Serena grabbed her phone and started to text her mother.

"Are we still going to see mum today?" Serena asked him, to which Ash nodded, struggling to keep himself awake as he had fallen asleep late the night before.

Grace had invited Ash and Serena around to her house to help to plan the wedding. Being that Serena was nearly seventeen weeks pregnant, Ash and Serena had decided to get married before they had the baby as to avoid waiting while the baby matured enough to be babysat.

Serena sent a text, put her phone to sleep and nuzzled into the crook of Ash's neck.

Ash planted a kiss on Serena's forehead and closed his eyes again.

* * *

Half an hour later, Serena shook Ash awake and dragged him out of bed, saying that they had to get up.

"Why?" Ash asked, rubbing his eyes as he slid off the bed, catching the clothes that Serena threw at him.

"It's time for breakfast," she replied, starting to get dressed while being careful as to not hit her stomach by accident. She hadn't gotten used to having a larger stomach yet and almost bumped it on the table a few times.

They left the room and walked downstairs, entering the open-plan area and heading over to the cupboard that housed the cereal.

"Is there anything we're doing today?" Ash asked Serena, who sighed as she poured a bowl of cereal.

"We're meeting mum later," she reminded him, to which Ash laughed.

"I know we are!" Ash replied, getting a glass of water. "Is there anything else, I mean?"

Serena took a moment to think before shaking her head. "I don't think there's anything else we're supposed to do."

"Want to go out somewhere?" Ash asked, to which Serena shook her head.

"We shouldn't," she replied, smiling a little. "In case I start to get ill again."

Ash agreed, putting his now empty glass into the sink, deciding not to eat but to leave it with a glass of water.

"What should we do?" Ash asked, to which Serena shrugged as she tucked into her cereal.

"We could watch a film?" Serena suggested, to which Ash agreed.

"Okay," he said. "I'll feed the Pokémon while you finish eating," he told her, taking her Pokéballs before leaving the kitchen and heading into the garden.

He walked over to the garden shed where he and Serena kept their Pokémon food in bulk before he released his and Serena's Pokémon.

"Hey, guys," Ash said, smiling before he opened the shed, grabbed the food and twelve bowls before filling them with food.

Charizard, Greninja, Sceptile, Krookodile, Glalie, Sylveon, Delphox, Absol, Milotic, Roserade and Froslass waited patiently for Ash to give them their food before he did so.

Ash watched the Pokémon tuck into their food before noticed that a particular yellow rodent was missing.

"Where's Pikachu?" Ash asked the Pokémon, only for them to ignore him.

Ash walked inside to see Serena placing her empty bowl in the sink. "Have you seen Pikachu?" He asked her, to which she shook her head.

"Why?" She asked, a little confused. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen him today," she said, walking out up the stairs with Ash to look for him.

They peeked into each room to look for him before they found Pikachu curled up at the end of their bed.

"He's safe," Ash said to Serena as he walked over to his best friend and shook him awake. "Buddy, it's time for food."

Pikachu woke up and looked at Ash before jumping onto his shoulder.

"Let's take you to get some food," Ash said, going back downstairs with Serena and taking Pikachu into the garden.

While the Pokémon finished eating, Ash put the food away while Serena set a film up in the lounge.

* * *

Three hours later, Ash and Serena had finished their film and were ready to head over to Grace.

They left the house, Ash releasing Charizard before he and Serena hopped onto his back and told him to fly into the air and head over to Grace's house.

Charizard did so, Serena being careful not to be sick as they travelled fast.

After a few moments, Ash told Charizard to land, pointing at the road outside of Grace's house.

Charizard swept to the ground, letting Ash and Serena hop off before Ash returned him, thanking him for the transport.

They walked to the front door and knocked, waiting for a few seconds before Grace answered, giving Ash and Serena a hug as soon as she saw them.

"Hello!" Grace exclaimed, letting them enter the house. Over the past two years, Grace had introduced Ash and Serena to the man she was dating and they were happily married, hence why Grace was keen to help Ash and Serena with their planning.

The wedding had been a small one, neither Grace nor her partner wishing for a grand, expensive celebration. Ash and Serena, however, were almost legally required to have a grand celebration, Ash being the Kalos Champion.

They sat down and started to plan the wedding, taking a few hours as Grace insisted that Ash and Serena stayed for dinner so they could take their time while planning.

By the time that six o'clock rolled around, Ash and Serena decided to head home. They bid farewell to Grace and her partner before clambering onto Charizard's back for the second time.

They flew home and, after getting off, Ash returned Charizard. They walked into the house and, without anything better to do, they walked into the lounge, flopped onto the couch and turned the TV on.

They spent three hours watching television before they decided to get ready for bed.

They turned the TV off and headed upstairs, Ash taking a shower first while Serena brushed her teeth.

Once he finished, Ash brushed his teeth as Serena climbed into the shower before he left the bathroom and slid into bed. He started to think about the journey again. He thought about how he and Serena had met as children in the forest outside of Pallet Town in Kanto. He thought about his victory in the Kalos league, the failures of previous leagues, his travelling companions and the Pokémon he had befriended on the way.

It was only when Serena came out of the bathroom and got into bed next to him that Ash snapped out of his trance and closed his eyes.

Serena wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick kiss before she closed her eyes as well, letting them both drift off to sleep.

* * *

 **There we go! Another chapter which I can sadly say is the final one of this story. As much as I would like to have it continue, I don't think there's anything I can add. From the start of the journey to two years after the journey ended, I think it's safe to say that we can close this book. Now, I have to say before any of you inevitably message me, asking about the next story, I'm not entirely sure what the next one will be, when it will come out and, to be honest, whether it will even be Pokémon related! Yes, you read that correctly, I'm thinking about expanding the range of animé and shows that I can write about. Now, before you worry, I'm sure that I will return at some point soon but I can't be sure when. It may be in January 2020 or it may even be in a few days from when this chapter is released. Anyway, with that being said, bye!**


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